Revenge Season 4: Alternate Episode 16 Infinity
by MothToANewFlame
Summary: Emily finally finds the courage to abandon her path of revenge, while a tragic loss spurs Daniel down his own journey. Meanwhile, his finished book is threatened by a mysterious competitor, and David seeks an ending to the war with Victoria. Old faces return, new lives begin and for some, the journey comes to an end in this conclusion to the Alternate Revenge universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

_**Author's Note: For your reading experience in this last installation, I will be mentioning a few musical tracks that I listened to while writing this out, that I believe really capture the various moods well. Please be warned, this will be an emotional installment =/ **_

_**For this first portion (just the Flash Forward) I highly recommend listening to the first minute or so of "For You" by Angus &amp; Julia Stone in the background. This was the music used on the actual show in the very first episode (and featured again in others) that signifies Emily's reflection of her treasured past, and perfectly complements the scene captured below…Its perfect to take you into the "Revengeverse", and it will reappear again later in the episode. Do enjoy!**_

_**Flash Forward: **__Emily took a final breath as she looked back out onto the ocean, savoring the last sight of the waves crashing out at sea, breaking against her feet along the shoreline. She looked down wistfully at the infinity symbol she had engraved in the sand, and watched as the waves made their way up to her ankles, covering over the imprint until it slowly began to fade away. With a saddened yet accepting sigh, she turned from where she stood, taking a mental picture of the ambience to emblazon into her heart, and made her way back to the beach house yards away, walking slowly and cautiously up the hill. As she approached her abode, her eyes began to fix on the warmly lit home she was thankful to return to, and the figures she watched entering the house from afar gave her relief. At the end of the day, she was grateful for much: A circle of friends she could rely on. A new future she had to look forward to. A final resolution to her mission of revenge. And a blessing of life. Despite her losses suffered in the past and her previous low regard for life, she had come to treasure it evermore now that her path as Amanda Clarke had finally begun. It was a path she had worked tirelessly to finally have within her grasp, and one she could share now with those she loved most. It had nearly escaped her, and the prospect now gave her a feeling of satisfaction and renewed her confidence in moving forward, as she trudged back towards the house. She knew as she walked away that not only were her trails away from the beach a metaphor for letting go of the past, but also letting go of the lingering memories of her father, whom she would forever treasure, behind her… everlasting now only in her heart like the unrelenting brush of the waves upon the sand._

**Chapter 1**

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there sir—" the doctor sensitively stretched out his hands in protest, bringing Daniel to a halt as he raced down the hallway at a furious pace, barely even seeing him in his path.

"I'm the father – I need to be in there!" Daniel exhaled anxiously, as Emily trailed behind him, slowing down as she watched the doctor try to calm Daniel from overreaction. They had arrived at Suffolk County Memorial Hospital, racing there within moments of the message that Emily received about Margaux's accident.

The doctor put up his hands in a pose that mirrored surrender, and gently tried to assure them both of the situation. "Mr. Grayson, I understand your concern, but she's lost a lot of blood and she's in and out of comatose state, you can't see her just yet—"

"Then someone needs to give me some answers, what the _hell _happened?!" Daniel bellowed, his voice rising to the level Emily knew to be his instinctive reaction when he felt uninformed and left out.

Again the doctor attempted to allay Daniel's fears, placing a hand on his shoulder as Daniel finally seemed to take a moment to listen. "We're doing everything we can to save her, but she sustained _serious _injuries… especially considering how far along she was in the stages of her pregnancy. Fortunately the guards at Suffolk County got her to us as quickly as possible—"

"Suffolk County?" Daniel questioned in alarm, and beside him Emily leaned forward to mirror his concern.

"Her accident took place at the station?" Emily asked, sensing foul play immediately. The nurses who contacted her had failed to mention the nature of her fall, only that there had been an accident that required her to be rushed to the hospital and sent into emergency labor right away. Emily's skin crawled at the thought that there could be more than unforeseen occurrence to blame for the tragic incident, and moments later her suspicions were confirmed.

The doctor nodded. "The situation is still under investigation, but from what the paramedics that were first on scene informed us and from the impact of her wounds…" he paused nervously, aware that he could get into a good deal of trouble for what he was about to share, and then retracted. "Well, we can't be sure what happened."

Daniel attempted to process what the doctor was telling him, and his breathing exceeded to a near pant, as he looked around frantically, and met eyes with Emily, who was already deep in thought trying to figure out what the doctor was hiding.

"Your son however is doing well, but I should alert you—" the doctor began again but this time it was the nurse from the room behind him that interrupted, emerging with an update.

"Doctor, she's waking up!" the nurse called out, to which Daniel immediately took notice and insisted.

"I have to see her," he cried out, brushing past the doctor before he had a chance to stop him again and stumbling into the room without hesitation.

Emily watched him go and instead of following, allowed him his space respectfully, deciding to wait behind and gather more information from the doctor while he was gone. "Doctor, the child – you were about to finish?"

"Yes," the doctor admitted, turning his full attention to Emily as she stepped forward. "We were able to save him," he assured her, and Emily breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God," she exhaled, placing a hand over her heart and listening as the doctor went on.

"He's currently under incubation as he's a bit premature, but with careful attention and round the clock observation, we expect him to be just fine," he continued, again allowing Emily's nervous senses to relax. She nodded emphatically; eternally grateful as she started to turn and follow after Daniel, more motivated to join him with the additional good news she had to share.

"Wait, ma'am – there's something else," he continued, however, causing Emily to stop short in her tracks. "Despite the successful delivery, there were other… complications with the mother."

Emily turned her expression up at him in concern and her face froze. "What do you mean?"

An expression of severe disappointment, bordering inadequacy, came over the doctor's face and at that moment Emily came to realize that despite the relief she had experienced only seconds ago, they were not fully in the clear. "She sustained too many injuries during the fall – some of them internal. We were able to rescue her son, but we were too late to stop the bleeding…"

Emily's face darkened, her eyebrows furrowed in expectation as she cut to the chase. "What are you saying? She's going to make it isn't she—the nurses said she's awake?"

The doctor nodded graciously as he answered, "She'll be in and out of consciousness as we wean her off the pain medication, but… there's nothing further we can do for her. I'm sorry, miss… she…she's not going to pull through."

Emily closed her eyes as her heart sank, reminding her of similar pain she had experienced in the past and shocking her at how dearly she did not realize she held Margaux, especially in light of their recent truce. There was so much she felt she needed to tell her – so much she sincerely appreciated her for. And yet, she would never have the chance. Emily's heart ached at what a tragic loss it would be not only for her, but for Daniel, unsure of how he would be able to handle becoming a father and losing the mother of his child all in the same day. Despite their reunion, she knew it was enough to tear him to pieces.

The doctor offered his apologies again and started to walk away as Emily put her head down to think, and suddenly reached out to stop him, grabbing him by the arm, alarming him slightly at the same time. "Wait," she breathed hoarsely, an angered darkness coming over her face as she addressed him. "You know what happened to her – don't you?"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry I really shouldn't comment on it any further, certainly not without the father and the police present—" the doctor lamented, looking around for any guards that would be nearby, but the police were not within sight.

"Tell me," Emily forced him, growing impatient. "I just want to know one thing – did Victoria do this?"

Again the doctor shifted in discomfort, immediately aware he was not at liberty to disclose any further information and already feeling guilty for sharing what he had. But with Emily's unrelenting glare concentrated on him and no one in sight, it was hard not to comply. Before taking off back to the nurse's station he nervously uttered, "The inmate that she was visiting got loose…she may have pushed her. That's all they're telling me."

It was all Emily needed to know. She nodded in appreciation as she released her grasp and let him go and turned in determination as she made her way to the doorway of the room. When she arrived, she stopped short, finding it difficult to take in – the sight of Daniel seated at Margaux's side, leaning forward in angst with his head in his hands beside her outstretched and unresponsive body, despite the monitors beeping lowly to signal that she was barely still alive.

SCENE

"Daniel," Margaux breathed in a low whisper, and immediately he lifted his head from his hands, thankful that she was awake. She struggled to turn her head to face him but grew weak, and he put a gentle hand on her arm, softly trying to convince her not to move.

"Hey- hey, take it easy," Daniel soothed her, watching with reddened eyes as she looked over at him wearily, taking slow deliberate breaths. "It's okay."

Margaux attempted to force a slight smile as she closed her eyes and exhaled, knowing full well that he was lying to her. Above all things she was a stark realist, and even in her sedated state, she was vaguely aware of all that had transpired. She took another breath as she mustered up enough energy to speak again. "The baby?" she asked.

Daniel nodded, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "He's going to be okay… just got here a little early, that's all." He tried halfheartedly to be light about it, not even fully sure that he knew all the details as he'd left before the doctor finished, but he wanted to maintain a positive outlook for her. It was the least he could do to keep her spirits up, but despite his attempts, he sensed that she could see the strain in his eyes.

Again she managed a weak smile in response and did her best to continue. "You're going to be…a good father, Daniel."

Daniel's countenance fell as he perceived what she meant and he immediately attempted to console her otherwise. "Hey, we're _both _going to be good parents to him, alright?" He tried with all his might to contain his emotion but Margaux's spirit was fading before him.

"No," she shook her head, gaining more strength to speak. "No, I won't be here to help you…" her voice cracked as her eyes grew moist with tears. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't talk like that," Daniel cut her short, raising his voice a little as if it to firmly will it into place. "You're going to be fine. Don't apologize," he fell a bit short for words as he watched her shake her head at him again, raising a weak finger in protest.

"Please," she exhaled. "Let me finish… I'm sorry about everything." She looked at him intently and despite the glassiness of her eyes from the tears, he felt how strong her conviction was of her words. "I was wrong about Emily… I should have believed her. It was Victoria that lied to me…I never should have trusted her…" she trailed off, fear seeping into her eyes, mixed with anger as the memories came back to mind of their last encounter. "It's my own fault this has happened – I should have never gotten involved."

"Margaux, please—" Daniel begged, cutting himself short as he felt a lump form in his throat. He too began to well up with emotion, listening as his once lover and sometimes antagonist melted the tough exterior around herself and owned up to the cause that she once fought so ardently against. With her admission, he knew she was accepting that her fate came as a result of allying with the wrong side, but despite not knowing that his mother played a direct role in her injuries, he still blamed her regardless, knowing Margaux's course of action over the last few months was only a result of Victoria's manipulation.

"I shouldn't have kept you away," Margaux insisted, her conviction strengthening her ability to keep speaking. Suddenly, brightness appeared in her eyes and he stopped himself for quieting her apologies to listen to her plea. "Will you forgive me?"

Deeply sympathetic, Daniel nodded right away, feeling a strong surge of pain at not being able to set this wrong aright, grievous as it may be. He wished somehow he could have tried harder to convince Margaux to see what he had been trying to show her for months, but knew deep inside that she would not have listened to him. The reason for her sincerity of apology was not only because she was in her final moments but because she knew her own stubbornness all too well. Despite coming to a realization of the truth only days prior, it was as the saying goes, too little too late, and she was paying dearly for her latency.

Margaux rested her eyes once Daniel gave his forgiveness, giving him pause to look up, seeing Emily waiting patiently in the doorway, allowing them both their time in private. But instead, Daniel rose from where he sat, giving a last look towards Margaux and whispering, "I'll be right back." She nodded faintly as he slipped out of the room to speak to Emily out of earshot.

"Hey," he acknowledged her, shifting her out into the hall. "What did the doctors say?"

Emily braced herself as she knew it was her responsibility to tell him the truth, and felt more difficulty in this very moment than in the previous week on the stand. "Your son is stable, they're going to need to keep him in incubation for a while but he'll pull through."

Daniel nodded, relaxing slightly. "And Margaux?" he asked.

Emily's countenance dropped as she glanced down to the floor, shaking her head ever so slightly to tactfully respond that she was not going to pull through. "I'm sorry, Daniel."

Daniel exhaled in disappointment, muttering an outcry as he leaned slightly against the wall, running his hand through his hair. "What _happened, _Em—what was she doing at the station?"

"Daniel," Emily tried to calm him, placing her arms around him, and finally divulged the rest of the truth, knowing deeply she would regret it. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but… she went to see Victoria."

Daniel's expression was enough to silence her but she pushed past the darkness that erupted into his eyes as he stared back in shock, trying to finish. "It wasn't long after the verdict was announced," she paused to look around to see if anyone was nearby. "The paramedics said that while she was leaving..." she tried her hardest to ease him into the truth. "There was some sort of scuffle…"

Despite her cautious way of sharing the truth, Daniel saw through it immediately. It broke Emily's heart to tell him but she could not bear keeping it welled up inside her, especially now that it seemed confirmed Margaux did not have very long. Again she attempted to pull Daniel close, trying desperately to comfort him, knowing exactly how pained he was feeling, but with a sudden burst in response, the moment was cut short.

Daniel broke away angrily and began walking down the hallway. "Daniel, wait! Where are you going?!"

"Miss," a nurse called out to Emily while she stared after him, gingerly approaching her.

"Daniel, come back!" Emily yelled his way, but he put his hands up in protest, turning back only once to answer.

"I just need some air," he responded, but the swiftness to which he stormed away revealed otherwise and immediately Emily's heart sank, worrying that she should never have spoken a word.

"Miss," again the nurse prodded her, and Emily felt torn momentarily, turning to face her as she let her continue. "She doesn't have much longer. She's asking for _you_."

Still torn, Emily conceded, knowing she owed it to Margaux to be by her side in her time of need, even if her heart was racing with concern for what Daniel was about to do next. She made her way back into Margaux's room, and slowly walked around the side of the bed to sit beside her, taking hold of her hand.

"Emily," Margaux began as she looked upon her, a sense of gratitude in her face.

"Margaux," Emily comforted her. "Please, try not to speak… Daniel will be back soon, I promise."

Margaux only shook her head, insistent that she wanted to speak to Emily. "No—it's you I need. I need to tell you I'm sorry I wasted so much time," she paused, her strength weakening. "So much time on hate…"

Emily closed her eyes slightly shaking her head, assuring her she held no grudges about the past. "All that's done now, Margaux. You did everything you could – this isn't your fault." She fought back angry tears as she spoke, realizing even more so how much the responsibility relied on Victoria for everything.

"I need you to do something for me," Margaux continued, and Emily grew silent so she could clearly hear her request, as Margaux's voice grew fainter each moment that went by.

"Anything," Emily whispered, tightening her grasp on Margaux's hand, but delicately so as not to hurt her.

"Look after them both," she breathed, and what came next surprised Emily. "I know you'll care for my son…but Daniel… please, make sure he stays the—the man that he's worked so hard to become. Don't let him lose his way…"

Emily stared intently, sensing what she meant as she recalled Daniel's outburst, and knew that Margaux also knew what to expect from the darker side of him. Though her heart ached to go after him she remained in place, concentrating on every word Margaux spoke, pausing only to wipe away strands of hair that stuck neatly to her forehead in the sweat that outlined her brow. She had grown pale now, and her eyes barely stayed open long enough for her to speak a full sentence, but she had enough energy to open them again, waiting on Emily's acknowledgement in return. "Promise me…"

"I promise," Emily responded, her mouth cracking into an exasperated smile as a tear ran down her face. "I'll make sure he's the father he always wanted to be."

Margaux nodded her appreciation. "We were the same, once… you and I?" she finally asked, a haze coming over her. "Weren't we? Strong…determined…set in our paths…"

Emily nodded, pondering a moment over Margaux's observation, realizing just how right she was about their similarities, despite how far apart they always seemed. Suddenly the heart monitor beside her began to lose its pulse, and Emily looked up in fear, and then looked out towards the hallway to call for the nurse, who came rushing in. Her hand still over Margaux's she squeezed her tightly, begging her, "Please, hang on… please just a little longer, Margaux, _hang on!_"

But it was too late. With her final breath Margaux spoke, "I lost my way once too…but you helped me find it. Thank you…Em…" her voice trailed off before she could finish the rest of her name, and Emily watched in shock as Margaux's eyes fell still, and a remaining tear rolled down her cheek as she expired.

On the other side of loss again, Emily felt her heart sink inside, filling her with sadness and anger as she stepped away, allowing the doctors that came rushing in to do their best to revive her, but to no avail. Shaken, she stepped over to catch her balance at the window sill, memories of so many she had lost flooding back to her, and in some subconscious sense of honor, that of the real Emily Thorne being foremost. She closed her eyes as she remembered holding Amanda in her arms the night she died, drifting out to sea as she bravely faced her impending death, pleading with Emily in similar fashion as Margaux had just done, to look after those she loved. Reliving the pain of that night, along with her mixed emotions of anger over Victoria's hand in yet another loss, and her concern for Daniel, Emily leaned on the sill for support as she bowed her head and finally broke down in tears.

END OF CHAPTER – Opening Titles "**reven8e"**


	2. Chapter 2

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

**Chapter 2**

"Ems, I called as soon as I got your message – what _happened_?" Nolan answered his phone as he walked up the porch to the former's current residence at the beach house, lit only by the moonlight and one outside lamp. The setting reminded Nolan of a similar night years ago when he crept into the house only to have Emily nearly pulverize him when she sensed his presence.

On the other line, Emily breathed a heavy sigh in the hospital corridor, as she spoke quietly in response. "There was an accident Nolan – Margaux's dead."

Nolan stopped dead in his tracks, a few paces short of the rear door. _"What?!" _he gasped, placing a hand to his forehead while he processed.

Emily closed her eyes, shaking her head as the reality sank in, somewhat even deeper as she had to relate it to someone else. "The doctors tried to reach Daniel but his phone was off – I got the call just as he showed up to the house and we raced to the hospital but… she barely had a few moments left…" her voice shook lightly and she glanced behind her, watching morbidly as the nurses rolled the bed out of her room, her body draped with a linen cover. She turned back around as she continued with the phone to her ear. "But they were able to save the baby."

Nolan had taken a seat on the bench, too unnerved to bear the news while standing. "Thank god for that," he exhaled; slightly relieved it wasn't a complete loss. "But oh my god, how is Danny taking it?"

"He doesn't know yet, about Margaux," Emily explained, still looking around her, hoping that he would appear any second despite it being hours since he had left. "But he sensed it was coming. He took off right before they lost her. That's why I need your help – can you see if he's at the house?"

Nolan remembered her instructions and used his spare key to go inside, despite not seeing Daniel's car in the driveway nor any sign of him on the premises. "Uh… no sign of him, Ems?" he replied after peeking around in the dark house, seeing no traces of anyone being home. "Where would he have ran off to?"

Emily rubbed her head in exasperation, fully aware that his disappearance leaned more towards him doing something drastic than merely being overwhelmed. "I think I know where, but I was hoping I was wrong," she replied, to Nolan's curiosity, before finally elaborating. "The accident happened at the police station – Margaux was visiting Victoria in the holding cell and things got out of hand…the paramedics think she pushed her."

"Whoa," Nolan exhaled in shock, bracing himself on the island counter in the kitchen. "_Double murder— attempted filicide?" _he declared. "Ems…that's a whole new level of evil, even for the Queen herself!" He looked around, incredulous. "This is my first time saying this but I think I'm officially in, way over my head…"

"I couldn't believe it either at first, but this is Victoria we're talking about," Emily digressed. "Ever since the verdict was announced she's sunk to another level of desperation… and I'm worried she's taking Daniel with her."

"So what do you want me to do?" Nolan asked, uncertain of what their next steps could possibly be. He gestured into the air, trying to reason out a plan. "Stakeout the station-?" He cut himself short as the door swung open at that moment, and he rose to his feet hoping it was Daniel, but instead David walked through, pausing upon seeing him waiting in his kitchen.

"Nolan—" David looked around, clearly expecting his daughter to be present at the late hour , especially since her vehicle still remained in the driveway. "Where's Amanda?"

"Head. In. Over." Nolan whispered to himself, feeling a bit unprepared to explain all to David while still waiting for Emily to respond.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the conversation, Emily too was interrupted in the hallway corridor, as a nurse approached her, signaling her attention. She put the phone down momentarily to listen.

"Miss, I'm sorry to interrupt…but there's an update on the child's status," she informed her.

"Is he okay?" Emily asked nervously.

"He's fine," the nurse assured her, putting her hands up in a calming motion. "He's under careful observation but ah… he still needs a name? And the father has to be present to sign the certificate of birth…"

Emily breathed a sigh of relief and then switched to a feeling of slight helplessness as she felt the burden of Daniel's absence. "I'm trying to track him down now," she replied, to the nurse's acknowledgement, and then put her phone back to her ear.

"Nolan, I have to go—" she responded, deciding she couldn't stay there any longer and had to take matters into her own hands.

"Yeah, copy that—your dad just walked in, I guess I'll be filling him in before I go on Danny-watch," Nolan answered.

"Do it on the way here," she ordered him quickly, pacing towards the elevator. "I need you to pick me up so I can get to Daniel before he does anything crazy, he took the car."

"At your service," Nolan quipped back, ending the call as he walked towards David and gently steered him by the arm back in the opposite direction to the door. "Sorry to rush you back out, Papa Clarke – let's chat in the bat mobile, shall we?" He tried halfheartedly to make light conversation as he escorted him down the porch steps. "So… late night for you too, huh?"

Despite feeling a twinge of apprehension at the sudden rush, David sidestepped his prying and followed suit without objection, bracing himself for the news that Nolan was about to deliver.

SCENE

"I'm sorry sir, the inmate you're trying to see has been denied all future visitation rights until further notice," the police officer responded to Daniel as he leaned on the reception desk at the station.

Daniel tried his best to appear calm, despite his somewhat tousled appearance, having been up nearly half the night first waiting for Emily only to spend the rest of it distraught at the hospital. He had walked around thinking for so long after she delivered the news of how Margaux met her demise, before finally allowing the anger welled up inside of him to impel him to action. He found himself at the police station, initially unable to restrain his emotions, but doing his best not to let them show for fear the police would pick up on his intentions.

"Listen," he countered, moderating his voice to be as soft as he could manage. "It's a family emergency – I'm her son, please you have to let me see her."

The officer looked back up at him, exhausted and annoyed, secretly wishing he had not volunteered to work the late shift that night, especially considering the heavy enforcement that had been levelled on the town's most infamous and recently convicted inmate, Victoria Grayson.

"Look," he asserted, rising to his feet and pointing at the timepiece on the wall. "Even if you could see her – visiting hours are long over with. You'll have to come back in the morning."

Daniel reacted instinctively, a thought striking him as he glanced in the direction the officer pointed. "It's nearly morning now – and besides tomorrow is the sentencing, right? She'll be shipped off to court before I can even get here, and then what?" He stared intently at the officer, doing his best to exude a pained look on his face. "She's convicted on murder charges. Me and you both know if she gets the death penalty I'll never see her again. Come on, please… I haven't visited her once since she was taken away – I want to make things right before it's too late."

The officer relented, giving him a somewhat sympathetic look as he remembered vaguely who Daniel was, and could confirm from previous shifts that the entire station knew his public disassociation with his mother, and indeed had not come to see him once since her arrest. He felt moved by pity at a son trying to make things right, especially if it was his last chance before she was gone forever, and even if she received a reprieve with a prison sentence, her visitation allowances would be nearly impossible under maximum security.

Somewhat begrudgingly, he sighed and snatched up his security clearance. "You have exactly two minutes, Grayson," he enforced, walking around the desk to lead Daniel down to the holding area.

Daniel relaxed a bit, relieved that his quick thinking worked, and followed him down the narrow corridor through a series of doors. He briefly observed a stairwell that made a mental picture come to mind of Margaux falling, and he winced as he imagined the events that took place, the image fueling the anger that brimmed at the surface. As he got closer he noted it was roped off with police tape, and they walked past to a final cell on that floor, where a hefty guard rose from his seat, blocking the way.

"No visitors for this one, sir," he demanded, squinting up a cautious eye in Daniel's direction.

The officer leading him did his best to insist. "This one's a personal favor," he turned around to glance at Daniel briefly. "It's her son - last visit before sentencing."

Daniel nodded, flashing his identification quickly so the guard could see, and by some fluke of nature, the guard stepped aside. He assumed he was scot-free until he followed him in, making Daniel cautiously aware that he would be limited in what he could say or do.

Once inside the second doorway, the guard stood closely behind him as Daniel walked over to where Victoria sat by herself on a cot behind iron bars in a small cell. She looked up when the door swung open and Daniel entered, walking up to the cell, despite the guard making it clear there would be no further entry.

"Daniel," she exhaled, immediately relieved to see him. She didn't move initially, despite feeling a surge of hope as she watched him approach her cell. Yet as soon as she saw his face, hers darkened, sensing the sternness in his expression. Her countenance quickly changed from hopeful to sympathetic. "Daniel—how is she?"

Daniel did not respond, only stared at her with contempt, waiting for her inevitable explanation, hoping with every part of his being that she spoke so it could fuel his anger even more.

"Daniel – it was an accident, I swear," Victoria pleaded, only exposing her accountability even more. "You have to believe me; I would never do anything to hurt her." Again she was met with silence, and the sting of it finally made her rise to her feet, coming over to where Daniel stood just beyond the bars. She walked up to them as far as she could, wrapping her arms between the openings.

She waited for his acknowledgement but it still did not come, and so she went on, bowing her head slightly in guilt. "We had words… she was angry about so many things…" a positive way to spin the altercation eluded her as she stammered, falling back on her failsafe excuse when cornered. "Emily filled her head with lies—she poisoned her with a distortion of the truth, and I couldn't bear it! I just wanted her to see her for who she truly is. Trust me, you will soon see the truth for yourself-"

With the last comment Daniel finally erupted in response, nearing dangerously close to the cell, so much so that Victoria flinched and leaned back slightly. "Not another word out of your mouth about her!" he belted under his breath, and the guard watched closely, making sure he didn't breach the cell bars.

Daniel only shook his head as he watched his mother shrink back, seeing her cowardice more than any other trait she possessed. "I am so sick of giving you chance after chance when all you live to do is destroy everything in my life! You claimed to protect me, but all you've done is taken everything away." He shuddered as he realized the likelihood that Margaux had probably passed while he was gone and that his son's life was still tenderly in the balance. "My god, you nearly killed your own grandchild, you _monster!" _he roared to her face, prompting her to look downwards in shame.

"Whatever things Margaux said about you were true – and rest assured," he leveled a finger in her direction. "If they were in fact her last words, you will never see the light of day again." He turned away with his final condemnation of her, preparing to leave her be, but she just could not let up.

Her head still down, she fixed her hands tightly on the bars and responded in desperation, "Well then, that settles it…it doesn't matter what happens from here on out. She's won."

Daniel half turned to listen to where she was going with her statement, squinted out of the side of his eye as she continued. "Emily finally got what she wanted – her father's freedom. The destruction of our family… and you, all to herself... And now, even a child to steal as her own, to fill her pathetic void." She continued to look away, all but certain that Daniel had finally given up on her, feeling she had nothing further to lose.

But her underestimation of his passion for Emily quickly became apparent, as her final insult was too deeply cutting for Daniel to bear, particularly due to his own guilt in robbing her of the privilege to bear children of her own. Within seconds, the guard was on his feet taking hold of Daniel as he lunged forward with both hands through the opening of the bars where Victoria stood, to clutch hold of her throat, squeezing angrily without release on her neck as Victoria shrieked and struggled in response. "Dan-," she barely breathed. "Stop—stop!"

His attack was short-lived as the guard pulled him off of her with ease, signaling for the officer outside to come in and immediately restrain his hands behind his back, cuffing him without hesitation. Victoria fell to her knees once she was released, her hands instinctively going to her neck in response as she felt the air slowly return to her windpipe.

Daniel in turn shifted from resistance to their seizure of him to acceptance, yelling out. "It's just as well – you're not worth it!" He continued to pull slightly in their grasp to get his last words into Victoria as they took him away, shouting in her direction. "Enjoy your life in hell, mother! May you suffer greatly..."

"Come on, let's go!" the guard and officer both took turns settling him, infuriated with themselves for being lenient in the first place to let him back to see her, despite unconsciously allowing the attack to go on as recompense for what they knew the inmate to be guilty of.

Daniel's face darkened in resolve as they pulled him out of the room, leaving Victoria alone and helpless on the floor of her cell, with full confirmation that her last remaining hope in his forgiveness was completely tarnished.

SCENE

Emily sat alone at the kitchen counter in the beach house, deep in thought as she sipped at tea while daybreak streamed sunshine into the room from outside. Her concentration broke slightly as David came down the stairs, fully dressed for court appearance, matching Emily in his selection of dark, solemn tones.

"You're up early," David observed, kissing her on the forehead as he moved around her to pour himself a cup of whatever she was having.

"Yeah, there was no point in trying to sleep," Emily responded, conscious of only arriving home within the previous hours. She looked over at where he was fiddling with the kettle on the stove. "It's tea," she clarified, expecting he wanted something stronger.

David nodded and came beside her. "Has Daniel said anything?"

Emily shook her head slightly, still staring off into space as she recalled the mayhem of events that had transpired once they arrived at the police station. Daniel was being held for attempted assault on Victoria, and if not for Nolan's generous and willing assistance, they would have narrowly been able to get him released, let alone encourage the station not to press charges for his behavior. She was relieved to be able to take him home, despite feeling a measure of guilt over telling him the truth that sent him there in a fury in the first place. Once in the car they spoke little on the way home, riding in silence while Nolan left with David to drop him off. For her own sake, she had to break the news of Margaux's departure to him, but he reacted with little surprise, already expecting it had happened while he was gone. He had asked one singular question regarding his son and she informed him that he still needed a name before letting him to go to sleep, certain that he needed it more than ever to allow the healing process to begin.

"He'll be fine here – he needs rest," she replied after coming out of her trance, setting her cup down in hopes of getting the day's proceedings over with. A part of her eagerly looked forward to it after the previous night, her own lust for retribution rearing its head in the form of justice by law. She anticipated the announcement of Victoria's sentence, feeling it would be just about the only thing to cure the gnawing in her stomach to take her own vengeance. The thought of Victoria being able to hurt another soul nauseated her, and with it she experienced a new feeling, one of near exasperation, almost as if it would pain her more to watch the charade continue without a final ending, close at hand.

"We should get going then," David recommended. "In case he wakes up and tries to come with."

Emily agreed, although she knew for a fact he wanted no part of it, and likely would only want to know from her lips what the decision had been. She felt it her last task to finish out her mission by delivering the news to him, and being present with her father to hear it made it all the more full circle. She complied, getting up quickly, although suddenly feeling a bit lightheaded as she walked towards the door, noticeably so to David. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, steadying herself as she looked up at him. "I just… I just can't believe this moment is finally here, that's all."

David nodded, still a bit uncertain but sympathizing with her uneasiness. "The end awaits," he tacked on, to a nod from her in agreement as they headed out the door.

"Indeed it does."

SCENE

"Having reviewed all of the aggravating and mitigating circumstances surrounding the events in mention, there were a number of factors weighing heavily upon the decision of sentence. As this court has recently been made aware of the death of its leading defense counsel, it is with heavy difficulty that a decision has been rendered, on the merits of the facts presented, testimonies given, and degree of felonies…"

Emily and David stood anxiously amongst a courtroom full of reporters and eager observers, the most packed it had ever been, as Judge Waters proceeded to read off the sentence. Victoria stood to meet her fate in complete silence, represented by appointed legal counsel in Margaux's absence. A shroud of despondence cloaked her normally stern exterior, yet despite her lack of enthusiasm, a careful observer would be able to sense a slight twinkle in her eye as the sentence was being read.

"Therefore it is the judgment of this court that for the voluntary manslaughter and intentional murder of Officer Ben Hunter of Suffolk County Police Department, the defendant is sentenced to…" Judge Waters looked up from the pages from which she read and made direct contact with Victoria. "….life in prison."

The crowd gasped in response, and even some present applauded as the final sentence was read, seeing it a firm execution of justice, even running parallel to that met out to Conrad previously, and in ironic similarity to David's own sentence served.

David, for his own sake, breathed a sigh in response but still felt unsettled. Beside him, Emily echoed his emotions, but with a touch more acceptance. She glared in Victoria's direction as the judge dismissed the court and she was taken away, but savored the last sight of her being hauled off to her miserable fate as a hallmark of all that she worked to accomplish.

"After all we've been through," David addressed his daughter solemnly. "It doesn't seem fitting."

Emily nodded, understanding how he could be torn in response. There was a strong likelihood brooding that Victoria could get the death penalty, but for all her scheming, Emily had developed a partiality towards prolonged sentence and saw death more as an escape, than a punishment. "It doesn't, after losing Margaux," Emily admitted, doing her best to be objective. "But this way, she'll suffer longer… she'll have to live with the choices she made. And she'll realize just how completely she paid for what she's done."

David felt proud to a degree of his daughter's mature outlook on the situation, even though a part of him fought the same mindset, the darker side that wanted to see it ended his own way, and required patience to let the justice system do what it was supposed to, despite it rarely serving in his own favor. He looked over in the direction of where she was led off. "Still… every day that goes by, knowing she's still alive will be a torture… while we bury the soul she took," he turned back to face Emily. "And comfort the ones she's left behind."

Emily did her best to console her father, feeling déjà vu of their seemingly never-ending struggle to help the other see the right path to choose. But Margaux's last words continue to replay in her mind, strengthening her resolve to see Daniel's course corrected, motivating her to set the example in letting go. "Daniel will be comforted to know she's finally seen justice," she thought for a moment. "And when the time is right, Charlotte will return and we can tell her the truth about everything that's happened… together. And then we can move on."

Daniel half-smiled, trying to picture for a moment the family setting that Emily was eluding to. And while his heart was touched, it still held deep pits of regret that they had so much to repair, when Victoria should have never been able to get this far had his early plans for her succeeded. Emily could sense he was unwilling to let go of his anger, and started to grow impatient. "Dad, isn't this what we both wanted?"

"It's not enough, Amanda—" David answered shortly, turning slightly to step away as his conviction deepened.

Provoked, Emily snapped back. "Then what _would _be enough?" She shook her head in shock. "Dad, it's time to let go, you _wanted _this to finally be over – we both did!" she felt her blood pressure building, a bit abnormally, and found herself surprised at her own reaction, elevating with such quickness.

Sensing a disagreement, Stevie walked over from where she was conversing with her legal team and approached to see what was wrong, just as David held up a hand to try to allay Emily's fervent pleas, and at the sight of Stevie decided to walk away so as not to cause a scene.

"Amanda, what's wrong?" Stevie asked her, and Emily just shook her head angrily at his stubbornness, not wanting to unburden her displeasure with his reaction onto another person. The gnawing feeling in her stomach built up again and she felt a wave of nausea coming over her, as if the entire prospect of the situation continuing without end made her physically sick.

"Nothing," she assured her, bracing herself on the edge of her seat as she took a few breaths to calm her nerves. She thought for a second and realized besides the tea she had hardly eaten, nor slept since the previous day and was running on empty. "I just need to go home… I can't deal with this now."

"Hey," Stevie attempted to comfort her, nudging her chin with her hand. "You've won, Emily. Let it go."

"I have," Emily answered, holding her hand back in return with a tap as she pulled slightly away. "It's my father that hasn't." She left it at that, losing a bit of her anchored hope with the admission and turned swiftly, rushing out of the courtroom before she could lose anything else.

END OF CHAPTER

**Author's Note: And so the saga continues for now… as you digest the events above, again I recommend accompanying your imaginations picture of David storming out of the courtroom, still unsettled, with a musical selection that I think captures his emotions quite well – "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. I listened to this while writing and I think it really does his current state of mind justice.**

**In the meantime, of course I am still mourning the loss of Margaux in my fanfic, and the show itself in real life **** Of course the latter is the hardest – Sunday nights will never be the same! All in all its been a pretty glum week. So I'm hoping you enjoyed this latest installment and that your feedback on how you liked it will pick me up a bit! Please review and let me know your thoughts on Daniel's reaction to Victoria, the subsequent sentencing, and the dangerous direction David is headed in… can't wait to write more! Will update soon **** ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame**


	3. Chapter 3

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

**Chapter 3**

Daniel waited at the nurse's station in the maternity ward of the hospital, allowing him a moment to ponder over the events of the past day while the nurse went to pull the documentation for him to sign. Something about being in the hospital again filled him with a sense of guilt and disappointment, and he eventually took a seat, leaning his head back to reflect on the low place he was in.

Emily and David had left that morning to attend his mother's sentence, and it was just as well that he already had planned not to go, as his conscience continued to accuse him for his violent reaction the previous day. Again he was reminded of how flawed his instincts were, despite his growth in the past year, he still had a lot to learn, specifically in the area of restraint. He knew he was hurt and exhausted and that's what had pushed him to lash out at his mother, but the sting of her words was all that kept coming to mind. They signified the act he regretted most in his life, and that's what ate him up inside – the fact that in his wrath he had destroyed Emily's chances at ever having children again. Even though she had long since moved past it, it was a sin that seemed to constantly be before him, and he knew it was the last straw that set him off. And yet, his reaction in itself was even more telling of his flaws, almost ironic, in that again he lashed out violently, nearly choking his own mother in return for the painful stabbing of her words.

He did his best to brush the thoughts away as he waited, hoping that he could find his way back to redemption again, even if he could not save Margaux, he could do all that still relied upon him to do. And that included, most recently, his new role as a father. The expectations for the role were running through his mind as he felt the presence of someone walk up beside him, a face he did not expect, nor had encountered since the first night he and Emily rekindled their romance.

"Hey," the low voice greeted him, and Daniel looked up to see Jack, standing over him, a small bouquet in his hands. Jack glanced up at the nurse's station and then around, as if checking to see if Daniel was all by himself.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Daniel greeted him back honestly, doing his best to be indifferent, while not holding any particular angst against Emily's childhood friend.

"Yeah, I know," Jack acknowledged, walking around to sit one seat over from him as he lightly set down the flowers on the seat in between. "Nolan said you might be here… I came to pay my respects. I was once very close to her too."

"Of course," Daniel responded, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry, my mind is all over the place right now…" He rested his hands on the bridge of his nose, doing his best to try to keep composed now that he had company.

"It's alright I understand," Jack sympathized calmly, giving Daniel an empathetic look. "Louise sends her condolences… she wanted to come but, thought it might be awkward." Jack left it at that, knowing Daniel knew full well the uneasiness of their past and especially Louise's own history with Margaux. Something in the forlorn expression on Jack's face conveyed that there was still a measure of guilt underlying with her now that Margaux had passed, but Daniel barely reacted to the statement. Jack wondered if he even knew that he and Louise were together, his distractions seemed so overwhelming. He continued to pursue his welfare. "How are you holding up?"

Daniel sighed, and finally looked Jack's way. "It's a lot," he admitted. "Even though we went our separate ways… it feels so strange for him to be here, without her." Daniel shook his head in realization, referring to his son.

Jack nodded, understanding more than Daniel likely realized and paused from responding as the nurse returned to where they were seated with the paperwork.

"Alright, Mr. Grayson – here are the papers you need," the nurse briefly interrupted them, handing Daniel a folder with forms attached. "The baby's name goes here, and I just spoke to the doctor, you can visit him in observation room whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," Daniel answered her, perking up a bit with the latest update.

Jack looked over with interest. "You haven't named him yet?"

"No," Daniel answered a bit sheepishly. "This is my first time being allowed to see him."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

SCENE

Moments later, Daniel stood in front of the observation window for the incubation nursery, with Jack at his side, looking on in support. Daniel felt his own heart nearly stop as he gazed upon the tiny life that slept soundly in front of him, separated by the glass, but already dearly cherished in his heart.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Jack remarked as he watched Daniel enjoy the first few breathtaking moments of falling in love with his son.

Daniel half sighed, a delicate grin coming to his face. "Words can't describe it."

"No they can't," Jack agreed, folding his arms as he reminisced about the first time he held Carl in his hands, the emotions that filled him and the immediate connection he had made. He knew his presence there with Daniel was one that he would have never expected, but what he didn't know was how grateful Daniel was to have another father beside him, a good one at that, lending him support in the journey that lay ahead of him just by being there.

"You've been here before," Daniel finally acknowledged, taking his eyes off his son for the first time to glance over at Jack, referring to his previous similar experience. "How do you even begin to take the responsibility of another life into your hands?"

"The honest truth?" Jack looked over at him, relaxing his arms as he gestured to answer Daniel's question. "You just dive in…Head first." He paused to reflect for a moment and Daniel immediately softened at the words that followed. "When I lost Amanda, I was fortunate to have had the chance to see her interact with the baby…watch her… learn from her… and I was ready. I wanted to do, as a father, everything she could do as a mother." He glanced over at Daniel softly. "Except breast-feed, of course."

Daniel breathed a light laugh, and Jack was relieved to see him relax a bit in spirit. He continued. "But once she was gone, it was different. Even though I knew what to do, I felt like it all relied upon me. That if I made one mistake, I had no one else to blame but myself, and I couldn't imagine not giving Carl the best care I could." He nodded his head in admission. "But as it turned out, I had more help than I realized I did…" he looked over at Daniel again. "I had Charlotte."

The mention of his sister's name served to soften Daniel even further, and he listened closely, inwardly proud and encouraged by Jack's relation of his experience. "I was thankful to have her support… and Carl loved her, trusted her. And now, I'm fortunate that he's developing the same kind of attachment to his grandmother and to Louise."

Daniel faced forward again, gazing intently to memorize his son's face, taking in the words that Jack spoke as he realized the firm point he was making.

"Daniel, you're not in this alone," Jack continued to emphasize. "You and I both know that you have someone to help you when you feel overwhelmed – someone who's been wanting a family for as long as I can remember." Jack paused, to allow the intensity to deepen, and while a part of his heart still ached at the thought, his respect for Daniel and sympathy for his situation trumped his own prior uneasiness. "You have Emily."

With his assurance, Daniel met eyes with Jack again, and for the first time, felt a sense of respect emanating from Jack, as if he had finally accepted him for what he represented – Emily's true love and with that, a person who would be in both of their lives forever. Even so, the reminder of his own guilt in taking away Emily's chances at her own family continued to eat him up, and he considered for a moment the possibility that she may not want to be a part of his journey. "What if she doesn't want this?" Daniel asked honestly, glancing from Jack to the beautiful angel in front of him. "I'm asking so much of her—"

"Do you honestly think she wants anything _else_?" Jack asked, cutting off his line of thought. He didn't need to breach the subject to recognize Daniel's apprehension around the sensitive area ever since he wounded Emily. "She may be the most stubborn person you'll ever meet, but once she cares about you – she loves you for life. And trust me… this is what she wants." He stared at Daniel for a beat after letting his words hang in the air, curious if they would sink into his heart. And he was not disappointed.

"You're right." Daniel admitted, knowing that his words were true. He gave him his full attention, reaching his own personal level of respect as their discussion came to a peak. "I appreciate you being here with me…you're a decent guy, Jack." He paused to think. "You always have been… which is probably why I acted like a jerk to you for so long; I felt threatened by the person that you were… one that I would never be."

Jack clapped his hand on his shoulder, humbly bypassing Daniel's admission of his own insecurities, to remind him instead of what was truly important. "You're going to be a great father, Daniel. Don't ever stop believing in yourself."

Daniel nodded, grateful and again looked back at his son, feeling a sense of absolution come over him in the bond that was just forged. "I just wish there was a way I could name him in honor of his mother," he took a breath, trying to keep light amidst the heaviness of the situation, glancing down at the paperwork still in hand. "I'm not sure if Margaux is gender neutral…?"

Jack laughed lightly in return. "I'm sure you'll think of something..." And he meant it, his confidence in Daniel solidified more than he ever thought would be possible. They both stood for a moment longer, watching as Daniel and Margaux's sleeping, unnamed child stirred, knowing that no matter what name Daniel chose, it was going to signify the beginning of a new life for him, and change everything.

SCENE

"_Evening, Lady Justice!" _

Nolan called upstairs for Emily as he entered the beach house, toting a small handheld device and a bottle of champagne in hand.

"In here…" Emily called out from the living room, and Nolan came around in surprise, not expecting her to be where he found her, outstretched on the couch.

"Sleeping Beauty, on the day of Victoria's sentencing—?" Nolan remarked in surprise, as he came to sit the chair opposite Emily while she turned slightly, trying to wake herself up. "Ems… this is the moment you've been waiting for, and you're not even awake to enjoy it?"

Emily rubbed her head as she lifted herself to sit up straight, running both hands through her hair. "Sorry, I just haven't been right since my father disappeared this morning at the courthouse…" she glanced up at him a bit uneasily. "He hasn't been home since; I'm worried about him."

"Yeah, well you can call off the dogs," Nolan insisted, handing over the tracking device so she could examine while he retrieved two glasses from the kitchen. "Because according to the trace you had me run on his cell phone, he's just playing Captain down by the docks."

"All day?" Emily asked in concern, looking at the device while Nolan returned with glasses in hand.

"At least for the past few hours," Nolan answered, to a questionable look from Emily. He shrugged; as he popped open the bottle. "What? I couldn't check sooner, I've been busy deleting my entire hard drive so there's not a smidge of incriminating evidence left behind…wouldn't want all our hard work to be for nothing, would we?"

Despite agreeing heavily on the latter point, Emily just rolled her eyes, satisfied enough with the partial information Nolan was able to relate. She still feared for where her father had went to before that, but had to accept there was little she could do to prevent whatever he was up to until he finally came home and opened up to her. She set the device down on the table in front of Nolan as he poured her glass and then took his own, leaning back in his chair.

"Ahh," Nolan relaxed, sipping away. "Victory/Victoria! So this is how that feels…"

Emily smiled out of the corner of her mouth, nervous to join him in celebration when she still could not be sure that they were completely in the clear. She glanced at the glass he placed before her but did not take it.

"Uh, Rapunzel—let down your hair," Nolan chided her, observing her indifference and wanting her to lighten up. "You've won – what's with the golden _stare?_" He leaned forward; catching on that it was her concern for David that kept her from relaxing. "Are you really that concerned that David will do something rash?"

"Would you be, if it were me?" Emily shot back with a fiery glare, and Nolan couldn't deny she was right.

"Ah… point taken," Nolan digressed, resting his glass back on the table. "Revenge _is_ a family business," he glanced around, doing his best to brainstorm how they could prepare for what could potentially come next. Seeing Emily's look as more downcast than he expected, he pried for more information. "Speaking of which, how are things on the Danny front?"

Emily half shrugged, unconsciously glancing in the direction of the front door where she expected him to walk through any second. "It's hard to say… he still needs time to process everything. He went to see his son today, so hopefully that's helping ease the loss, but… based on everything that happened? I'm worried Victoria's sentence won't be enough for him either."

Nolan chuckled dryly. "Daniel on the rampage… David on rough tides… is this the first time in Hamptons history that you're the only person _not _wielding the red sharpie?" He shook his head in shock. "What kind of parallel universe _is _this?"

"I haven't given up completely," Emily corrected him, though her voice lacked the usual conviction she held when asserting a plan. She rose to her feet, taking the glass with her to drown it in the sink. "I just want things settled before moving forward. The verdict should have given us closure, not an excuse to keep going."

Nolan smirked as he got up to follow her, watching as she set the empty glass back down on the counter, never once realizing that she had poured out its contents, rather than drank it. "Welcome to my world… now you know what it feels like to be in a one-way tug of war with someone you care about who just…won't…stop." He eyed her directly as he delivered her rightful comeuppance, to which Emily took it in stride.

Rather than sass him back, to his surprise, her countenance became apologetic. "Then I owe you an apology – I think I finally understand how it feels…" her voice trailed off as she seemed to concentrate on something else, but before Nolan's curiosity got to him too much, Daniel walked through the door, somewhat unexpectedly.

"Ah, please," Nolan finished with her, glancing up as he walked in. "Save the sentiments...you're starting to scare me," he added with a grin, grazing her chin with his finger as he made his way towards the door, changing places with Daniel. "Congratulations," he greeted him softly, glancing over towards the opened champagne that remained on the living room table. "Little gift to celebrate little Grayson…"

Daniel smiled in kind as Nolan made his way out, hands in pockets, and then looked back over at Emily, who shifted uncomfortably at the kitchen sink. "Hey," she greeted him, unsure of what to expect. Her expression said as much. "How did everything go?"

Daniel set down the folder that was in his hand on the counter, his exhaustion apparent. "I'm really a father," he answered simply, a note of resignation in his voice. He pondered on it for a moment before picking up Emily's empty glass and taking it with him over to refill at the living area, where Nolan's bottle remained.

Emily scratched her head softly as she studied how to respond to him. "That you are," she whispered as she sauntered over to stand beside him while he sat in the chair where Nolan just was.

Once nearby, Daniel placed an arm around her, pulling her close so that his head rested softly on Emily's lower stomach, feeling relieved to just be next to her for a moment. In turn she reciprocated the gesture, caressing his head in return. "I was worried about you," she opened up honestly, wishing that it didn't come out quite as uncertain as it sounded.

"I know," Daniel acknowledged, aware he had given her full reason. He pulled back enough so he could see her face, meanwhile gently nudging her to relax into his lap affectionately. She complied, placing an arm around him, enjoying the affection despite being unsure of what was to come next. "You've had every reason to be," he continued. "The truth is, I haven't handled everything that's happened… well I haven't handled it the way I wanted to."

Emily remained silent, looking down to confirm her agreement, but anxious to hear what he had to say. She knew she eventually needed to share with him the turnout of Victoria's sentencing, but instead she just continued to stroke the back of his head, hoping he would open up further.

"Jack was at the hospital today," he went on, to a look of surprise from Emily. "We had a long talk."

"About?" she asked, twinging with interest.

"Everything," Daniel answered, staring off into space as he recollected their conversation. "Fatherhood… loss… choices…" he looked into her eyes. "You."

Emily furrowed her brow in surprise, but Daniel continued, allaying any concerns on the topic. "He reminded me of what's most important. I'm a father now, with a child to raise… but I don't have to do it alone," he continued to gaze into her eyes. "I don't want to."

Emily tilted her head, immediately sympathizing. "Daniel, you know I'm here for you. We're in this together."

He nodded, hoping desperately he wasn't asking too much of her. His own guilt compelled him to look down before he proceeded with his next request. "You don't mind—having this new person in our life? Because it's a huge responsibility… and I never wanted to force you into something you weren't ready for."

Her sigh was one of surprise, rather than exasperation, and with it, Daniel began to feel slightly comforted. "Even if I wasn't ready – I want to be with you. And that's all that matters."

Her response gave him life, spurring him into further confession. "You know, when I went to see my mother… the thing the hurt the most wasn't her excuses or her lies for what happened to Margaux… it was the things she said about you that cut the deepest." Emily began to protest but Daniel needed to finish. "I know I overreacted—but today I remembered something. No matter what she's done to hurt us both… no matter what her fate is now… we've been given a chance to make things right. And that's all I care about – building the rest of my life with you."

It was Emily's turn to nod in response, gracious of Daniel's inclusion of her own feelings in his recanting of the things that motivated him most, and thankful that at least he seemed to be abandoning the path she feared he was going down. It was even a relief that he didn't care to know Victoria's sentencing, a true sign that he had finally let it go. Somewhere in her heart, the promise she made to Margaux in her final moments had been realized. She smiled from within, leaning forward to lightly peck him on the mouth.

"Our future starts now then," she replied, knowing there were still things to be done before they could put it all behind them, but at least they had direction. "I can help with the arrangements for the services," she offered.

Daniel was grateful. "I appreciate that…and I haven't given up on our story yet. I want you to know, first chance I get; I'm making the final revisions and getting it on my publisher's desk. So the whole world can see just who the real Amanda Clarke is… and why it was so easy for me to fall in love with her...regardless of her name." He kissed Emily again in return, and the fresh emotion comforted them both, desperate for this moment since their interruptions the night before.

"Speaking of names," Emily replied once they separated, looping both arms around Daniel's neck as she referenced his son. "Did you settle on one?"

"I did," Daniel admitted, already full of appreciation for her interest, and he took a breath as he announced the name of his firstborn. "Marshall Leigh Grayson."

"Marshall Leigh," Emily repeated to herself, catching the reference. "_LeMarchal_."

"Something to uphold her memory," Daniel admitted, caressing her cheek, to which she smiled in agreement.

"I think she would be honored," Emily responded, deeply proud of him. Again she thought of Margaux's last words, and the reprieve that Daniel seemed once again, to have found his way. "In fact, I know she would be."

"You know what makes me smile when I think of it?" Daniel asked, and for a moment Emily was unsure just how deep his connection was going to run, but she listened anyway. "It's that I can call the two people I love most the same nickname – Em."

Her heart touched, Emily melted in his arms, kissing him again before pulling him into a tight embrace. Despite the shadow cast over the past days, she could be sure of one thing – they had each other and whatever events that came in the near future, they would be able to face them together.

END OF CHAPTER

**Author's Note: Hey Revengers! I had to keep this one a little mushy for you… hope I didn't overdo it too much in some parts but I think we all needed a little soft relief with all the drama in this episode (plus the actual show, ugh!) Please tell me your thoughts! Are you liking Baby Grayson's name, and Daniel's little fixation with it? What do you think David has **_**really **_**been up to? And stay tuned, because more drama is STILL on the way… unfortunately the Revengeverse never quite ends on too much of a happy note. In the meantime, please share your feedback and thank you for all your continued support. I'm trying to hold off until after the series finale to post the final chapter, just to give us all something extra to look forward to. So hang in there and enjoy the last ride! ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame**


	4. Chapter 4

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

**Chapter 4**

"Gosh, it feels like every week in the Hamptons there's another funeral to attend," Louise lamented as she made her way down to the burial site, Nolan and Jack joining her on either side. They made a solemn trio, decked in all black attire for the final services for Margaux, a farewell that had taken Emily and Daniel only a few days to organize. A cool breeze carried the last of summer air through the assembly, as more attendees gathered to mourn, seated before the decorated casket and large headstone just beyond.

"Well, you're still relatively new to the area," Nolan commented dryly as they walked along. "But unfortunately, Jack and I can attest that a summer in the Hamptons hasn't officially gone by without its own fair share of tragedy..." His grave statement was corroborated by the serious look on Jack's face, as he attempted to lend an arm to Louise to lean on. Instead it prompted her to stop short, a few paces away from the burial site.

"Jack, I'm not even sure how Daniel feels about me being here – whether my family was druggin' me or not, Margaux and I had a rocky start. Maybe I should have stayed home with Carl?" she insisted nervously, looking into Jack's crystal blue eyes for confirmation.

He placed both hands on her shoulders to comfort her, grazing the sheer fabric of her dress. "Trust me," he assured her. "I talked to him and the past you two shared is the last thing on his mind. If anything, he just appreciates your support now, when it matters most." He nodded at her for acknowledgement which she gave in return, shrugging slightly.

"Besides," Nolan added, pausing nearby. "If Emily was able to make peace with her before her last moments, then it goes without saying that Margaux wanted to move past her history with _everyone_." He glanced over at where the last few rows were filling, watching as Emily stood by herself, with Daniel not too far away. "Her untimely death taught us all a lesson in forgiveness."

Jack nodded, appreciating Nolan's additional comments and again looked to Louise to ensure she was ready to go sit down. She accepted the pep talk and began walking again, this time linking her arm tightly in Jack's for support.

Meanwhile, Nolan made his way over to where Emily stood, kindly receiving some of the guests as the proceedings were about to begin. "Hey," he greeted her. "Feeling any better?"

"Why do you ask?" she snapped quickly, surprising him with a suspicious look.

"Uh, it's _me_ remember?" he reminded her, gesturing to himself with a look of surprise at her candor. "You only asked me about ten times to check in on your dad in the past few days."

"Oh, right," Emily conceded, calming down as she recalled. "You can't blame me if I think 'spending some time at sea' to 'clear his head' is a flimsy excuse," she rationalized, looking around subconsciously for him to show up at any moment and returning her glance to Nolan once she didn't catch sight of him.

"Agreed," Nolan nodded, bypassing her short temper. "But he is your _father _after all," he reminded her again, this time with a chiding tone. "Doesn't he get a vote as to how he spends his time?"

Emily swallowed, responding calmly. "So you're taking his side now?"

"Hey," Nolan reacted, uncertain as to how their conversation had quickly dissolved into a match. "Relax, Ems… it's the same side, remember?" He furrowed his brow at her, studying her face and then pausing to glance over at Daniel who was a few feet away greeting guests. "You're more agitated than normal, is something else bothering you? Is it Daniel?"

"No," Emily assured him, realizing her sharpness. "It's just…" she started to explain and then thought better of it, watching as the ceremony officiant arrived, who was preparing to perform the service. "I'm sorry; I just haven't got a lot of sleep lately. With planning the services and going back and forth to the hospital… I just need some time to relax."

Nolan accepted her apology without hesitation, understanding immediately. "Well, maybe while Vicky G is vacationing permanently in _Ryker's_, you and Danny boy should be planning your own baby-moon? At least before little Marshall comes home…" He watched as Emily's head dropped slightly in concentration, knowing it was a serious topic. Nolan's curiosity continued to brew, as he had not once breached the subject of his best friend's immediate transition into motherhood by virtue of being with newly fathered Daniel. "Are you ready for this, Ems?"

"I have to be," she answered, staring into space before looking up at her friend. "I don't have a choice."

"Are you sure? I know how much you've always wanted a family… children... But you have to admit though, you haven't been yourself lately," he continued to watch her demeanor closely, giving her a caring once-over. "You sure there isn't anything you want to tell me?"

Emily glanced around, verifying that she still had a few moments before the services began and finally digressed, lowering her voice to an almost whisper as she got closer to Nolan to reveal the secret she had been holding. "Listen, the truth is… the past few days…I think I've been having blackouts."

Nolan's face quickly contorted from intrigue to fear. "Blackouts – again?" He watched as she nodded discreetly, and then placed a hand over his mouth as he went on. "How serious are they?"

"Not as bad as before," she answered honestly. "I'm mostly just lightheaded for a few minutes. But I'm starting to have a hard time remembering what's happened… I've been trying to rest and keep track of where I am, what I'm doing... I hope it'll pass but… I'm worried." Her expression turned nearly desperate as she pleaded with Nolan to keep her secret, while still relying on him for help. "As soon as Marshall comes home, it's going to change everything and I don't want to let Daniel down… but more than anything I'm just afraid…of the unknown."

Nolan nodded slowly, recollecting the source of her inherited lapse in memory, and the fear that she still could present a dangerous risk if her condition ever worsened to the degree her mother's was. Especially now that a child was going to be a daily fixture of her and Daniel's life, he knew how afraid she must feel for its own safety; let alone how great of a responsibility it weighed upon her to be honest with herself. "And you're sure this isn't just another reaction to a repressed memory? Something that's been trying to break through?"

"Like what?" Emily questioned genuinely, unable to place what it could possibly be. "Everything that's happened this past year has opened up so much, what else could be left?" She sighed as she looked down again. "I finally have my father back—and a chance to create new memories to replace the ones I lost. How can this be happening?" Her question was rhetorical but clearly conveyed her distress.

"Now that you mention it, Ems… this is definitely something David needs to be here for." He paused to think and then tried his best to lift Emily's spirits. "Look, maybe he'll remember more about your mother's symptoms? He might even be able to tell the difference – it might be nothing at all?"

Emily appreciated his suggestion but knew regardless, even if she wasn't as bad as her mother, she had the potential to deteriorate as time went on. Still, she needed his support, either way. "Another reason why I need to get a hold of him," she looked over reflexively to where Daniel was, and caught sight of him finally walking over. She glanced quickly at Nolan to end their discussion. "Look, I can't talk about it this right now – we'll finish later," she concluded.

Nolan nodded, understanding and added a final comment before discreetly walking away, "Ems, don't worry – we'll find him. It's going to be okay." He squeezed her hand and then nodded in Daniel's direction respectfully, as the assembly gathered.

"How are you doing?" Emily quickly asked Daniel as he approached, genuinely concerned that he was holding up.

"Better," he replied, gaining strength from her presence beside him. "Knowing all these people cared about her and came today to offer their support really means a lot. This is going to be hard, but I'm glad I don't have to go through this alone." He took his seat as she did the same, slipping her hand in his to gently intertwine their fingers, squeezing tightly to brace for the moments ahead. The assembly grew quiet, and for a moment all that Emily could do was gaze into Daniel's eyes, even once he faced forward, conveying just how deeply her compassion went out to him, having experienced similar loss many times over herself. Her eyes began to glisten softly as the emotion churned in her heart, just as the minister approached the head of the audience and turned to address all.

SCENE

David leaned forward to peer through the front windshield as he pulled his car up the rocky driveway and slowed to a stop, having reached his destination. He exited the car cautiously, looking around for any onlookers, but his surroundings were all but deserted. Trees lined the driveway path leading back to the tucked away house, and only one car remained, that David was familiar with seeing before. He studied it carefully as he walked by, paying close attention to the details of the vehicle, observing the array of stickers plastered over the bumper, and a faint inscription of the police force decal in the back window. In almost simultaneous reaction, two large dogs emerged from the backyard and sounded their alarm as they jumped against the fence, barking relentlessly as David passed by the yard to go up the front steps.

When he approached the front door to knock, he took a deep breath, hoping that someone was answer, aware he had taken a chance by not reaching out in advance. But he was on a strict timeline and couldn't afford to wait for correspondence, let alone endanger his mission by speaking over a potentially recorded line. At long last, the door finally opened, revealed a scruffy bearded fellow, the face of which David recognized immediately, being the person he was looking for.

"Devil on earth," the man replied at the sight of him, looking him up and down before cracking the door open slightly. "I didn't expect to ever see you again."

David acknowledged him curtly, getting straight to the point. "I know… I'm sorry to show up like this out of nowhere, but… I needed a favor."

The man shifted slightly, crossing his arms. "You told me this day would never come," he continued, a bit suspicious.

"I remember," David admitted, looking back towards the car nervously before maintaining eye contact again with the shady fellow. "But things have changed…more than I expected them to."

Again, a shift in position from the man before him, and he nodded, resolute. "Gonna cost ya," he insisted. "Can't give anything free anymore."

"I understand," David complied, already prepared. He extended his hand, revealing the ignition keys to his boat. "I brought payment – it's tied up, down by the docks."

The unnamed man glanced down at his hand and then paused before finally taking hold of the keys, looking at them closely. He finally palmed them in his own hand and stepped aside, pushing the door fully open for David to enter.

"Well then… step into my office," he replied with a sneer, as David gestured his appreciation, clapping him on the shoulder as he walked in and the door shut behind him.

SCENE

"This is a lovely office," Emily remarked as Daniel's publisher returned from where he had excused himself nearly a half-an-hour prior, leaving both her and Daniel to wait. Emily had become restless in the time that had passed, wondering what could have taken him so long when they had arrived on time by appointment. Daniel had done an outstanding job of explaining the revisions to his book, leaving her feeling proud and rejuvenated at the chance to finally tell her story without fear, knowing it was the final conclusion to her journey of revenge, and with it, the ticket to her new life, with hopes of happiness.

But when the publisher excused himself towards the middle of Daniel's presentation and then disappeared, it left her somewhat concerned, leading her to distract the publisher with a compliment once he came back, to test his reaction – an old trick she had learned to determine when someone was hiding something.

His response confirmed her suspicions, and rather than pick up where he left off, the publisher merely sat down, a bit harried, and folded his hands in concern.

"Ah…is there a problem, sir?" Daniel asked; eager to continue his pitch for the release of his finished product.

Buying himself time, his publisher removed his glasses, fretting as he sorted out in his head how he wanted to word his next statement. He picked up the manuscript in hand, using it as a visual aid while he spoke. "Mr. Grayson," he began, and then turned to address Emily as well. "Ms. Clarke… this is, an _exquisite_ piece of work… it's honestly everything this publishing company has been looking for in the past few years, and no doubt a sensation in the eyes of the public—"

"But?" Emily interjected, sensing the retraction coming.

"Unfortunately… it is not the only of its kind," the publisher relented, a downcast look on his face.

Daniel shifted forward in his seat, shooting a quick glance at Emily before voicing his concerns. "What are you talking about; it's as original as it gets – a biography that no one else would have had firsthand access to?"

"That….may be true," he acknowledged, paging through the table of contents. "But you see, I just received word that the company already signed on for another book… also entitled, _The Amanda Clarke Story._"

"What?!" Daniel and Emily both replied in unison, full of shock.

"Who's the author?" Emily persisted, while Daniel continued to look at the publisher in surprise.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal that information," he began, and Emily rose to her feet in defiance, prompting him to look up in defense. "Please – I'm not at liberty to discuss the material submitted by other clients!" He glanced at Daniel who did not budge to calm Emily down, completely in support of her furious response. For his own sake, the publisher did his best to get Daniel to understand. "Mr. Grayson, I assure you – your prose is safe, the other biography is a completely unique telling of the story – some events are similar but the vantage point is…quite different."

"Yeah, I'll bet!" Daniel retorted, his pulse rising. Beside him Emily had walked over to the window in distress and suddenly whirled around, a thought coming to her.

"He's here isn't he?" she asked, glaring over at the publisher in realization. He shrugged slightly in response, at a loss for words, trying desperately not to give any information away. "That's why you were gone for so long – you didn't just hear about this, you just cut a deal, didn't you?"

"Is that true?" Daniel followed up, supporting her line of thinking. Again his publisher tried his best to deflect, offering a few words to explain away his actions. But his uncertainty was all that Emily needed to confirm her suspicions. Before Daniel even realized it she was sprinting out of the office, down the hall and to the elevator to try to catch the mystery competitor before he could leave the premises. Daniel noticed her absence a few moments later while his publisher tried to stall him, and left immediately to go after her, grabbing his manuscript off the publisher's desk, while he sat back in his seat, shaken up, but relieved they were gone.

Emily's head start on Daniel made all of the difference as she made her way to the bottom floor of the parking garage, racing around anxiously for any signs of a car leaving. Instead, something caught her attention on her own car where she and Daniel had parked, and she rushed over, seeing a folded letter tucked underneath the windshield wiper.

She took hold of it, seeing the familiar handwriting labeling the outside of the letter, in one ink blotted word. _Shame. _She began unfolding it rapidly to reveal a manual typed page, with the subscript: _Secrets and Lies: The Amanda Clarke Story. _Beneath it appeared to be a page out of a long manuscript, and she stared in shock and realization as she skimmed it from top to bottom, furious at the rendition of events that she knew only one man could write with such glaring distortion.

Her suspicions were concerned as moments before she could finish reading, the screech of tires roared from behind her, and a black car with tinted windows came careening around the corner, headed squarely for where she stood reading the letter just in front of where she was parked. She looked up just in the nick of time and darted out of the way, and in a blur she caught a faint image of the person seated in the passenger seat, recognizing with sureness who it was.

Suddenly, the familiar lightheadedness which had been plaguing her for the past week returned, and she felt herself growing faint, as she stumbled backwards, holding onto the car for balance. It was just then that Daniel came running out of the elevator to her aid. "Emily!" he called out, beside her in seconds, supporting her with his arms as she began to sink slowly towards the ground.

"Em – are you alright, what happened?!" he exclaimed, more scared than anything. He pulled with all his might to keep her standing, attempting to help her around to the passenger side so she could sit down.

"I'm fine," she assured him, starting to go into a daze before her eyes fluttered closed, her hand beginning to lose grip on the letter she held firmly. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she continued to mutter, but again the blurred feeling intensified, clouding out her vision and leaving her to return to a sea of blackness with only Daniel's concerned face as the last image in her mind – and that of the man she was certain she had just seen speeding out of the parking lot, who had no doubt returned to thwart her last attempts at ending the cycle of revenge…

Mason Treadwell.

END OF CHAPTER

**Author's Note: And the plot thickens! For your reading accompaniment, I recommend reading the above last scene along with any choice of intense scoring from the Revenge soundtrack. I had in mind quite a few scenes for inspiration in this chapter– one from the beginning of the season when David is nearly hit by a speeding car, and the other more recent, when Victoria is attacked in the parking garage. Also, for the beginning, Margaux's services were also strongly inspired by Daniel's services in the show's version of events from Episode 10 onwards. So hopefully this helped you to zone out and picture it all going down. How did you enjoy? Liking the extra Demily moments? Were you surprised at what seems to be really going on with Emily? And what do you think will come next now that Mason has returned (again!)? Hoping I'm keeping you enthused and entrenched as I wind down this final episode. More updates coming soon and as always, thank you LOADS for all of your support! Especially all of my guest reviewers – I can't reply/PM to you personally but you know who you are! Your kind words mean the world to me! More to come – stay tuned! ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame**


	5. Chapter 5

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

**Chapter 5**

_"Amanda?"_

_Emily fluttered her eyes open, a mist surrounding her vision as she tried to place her surroundings. Where was she? This place was familiar… yes; it was the porch of her father's beach house. But something felt aged and nostalgic, and with a shudder she turned to see her father approaching her, quickly realizing it was a much younger version of him. One that she remembered so many years ago, when she was just a child…_

_"Dad?" she whispered. _

_"Finally feel like talking?" he responded, approaching her slowly, cautiously, as if uncertain of what to expect. _

_"Dad, where have you been? I've been worried about you – something's happened—" she began, but her father seemed to be preoccupied, barely hearing her pleas as he walked over to the post at the top of the porch steps. _

_"Come here for a second," he requested, and Emily complied as he beckoned her to join him, and walked over beside him. She peered over the post where she expected the destroyed infinity symbol to be, she was shocked to see nothing there. No carving at all. Her mouth opened in surprise and she suddenly fell silent as she watched her father remove a small knife from his pocket, and begin to carve. Then it struck her, she was in her own memory._

_"Now, you know, we all make mistakes, Amanda…I'm sorry that we fought and that you got scared. I never want that for you," he looked over at her for confirmation and Emily just nodded, shaken by how closely his words from the past could apply to the disagreement they had only days prior. _

_"Dad, what are you doing?" she continued to ask, referring to his disappearance, but instead the memory of him continued on, the same way her mind recalled it. David used the small knife to chip away at the wood on the post, carving out the symbol that had come to define her entire life._

_"Right now, it all looks really bad, right? But you and I – we can fix any problem. When this is done, it's gonna be a reminder that no mistake is ever gonna break us apart," he paused to look at her, and this time Emily felt his eyes truly connect with her own, as if he saw the woman before him rather than the little girl she used to be. "As long as you never forget I love you."_

_"I love you too, Dad," Emily replied immediately, tears welling up in her eyes as she reached out to hold him. But rather than receive her warmly the way her mind's eye remembered, a surprised and concerned look came over his face, and he paused, holding her arms in both hands to look closely at her. _

_"Amanda?" he asked, and immediately Emily was reminded of the moment within the past year when he realized who she really was, as he held her in his hands and she shook with emotion. "Amanda, it's you?" His look intensified as she continued to nod, trying to assure him of who she was, but he continued to ask._

"Amanda?"

Suddenly the dream dissipated, and Emily lurched back to reality, her eyes fluttering open as she came out of her deep sleep, seeing her father's face, for real this time. She glanced around quickly, taking in her surroundings, realizing she was stretched out in the upstairs room of her father's beach house. David was sitting on the bed next to her.

"Amanda, it's alright you were sleeping for a while," David continued to comfort her, taking hold of her hand, and with his consolation Emily sat up straight, catching sight of Daniel also in the room with them, standing at the foot of the bed with a look of relief that she had awoken. A smile crept over her lips to match the one that he wore and he breathed a quick sigh, folding his arms.

"You gave us quite a scare there at the parking garage," Daniel reminded her, allowing her memory to restore the events that occurred hours before. "But no matter how much I insisted on taking you to the hospital, you kept saying you wanted go home. Do you remember any of that?"

Emily looked down, trying to recollect as she answered him, and ended up shaking her head slightly, as her hand went reflexively to her lower back while she sat forward. For a moment it looked as if she was feeling around for something, but neither David nor Daniel seemed to notice as they exchanged a quick glance. "No, the last thing I remember is..." she stammered, wondering if it was worth even telling them the secret lurking in the back of her head. "Well I'm really not sure?"

David squinted up at her, sensing that she might not be telling the truth, but before he could pursue it, Daniel continued. "It's ok; you're still a little fuzzy. I'm just glad you're alright," he said, but her father would not let her off quite that easy.

"Amanda, don't ever do that again," David ordered her softly, his voice ripe with concern. "If there's something wrong, you need to let people get you the help you need," he paused to look up at Daniel. "Especially the ones that care about you the most."

Daniel chuckled to himself, appreciating David's support but also aware that he had limited experience with the older, more stubborn version of his daughter. "Have you ever tried telling Emily not to do something?" he asked him.

Emily rolled her eyes a bit sheepishly, but there was yet even further confirmation of her tendencies to be bullheaded as her bedroom door creaked open.

"Even when she's half-conscious, she still puts up a fight to get her way," a voice announced from the doorway – it was Nolan, coming to visit with a stuffed animal in hand. Daniel and David immediately looked back at him, not surprised that Emily's best friend showed up to round out the recovery party.

"Nolan, you didn't have to come," Emily insisted, trying her best to downplay the situation. "I'm sorry I got everyone so worried, I'm probably just overdoing it—" she shifted in the bed, bringing her legs over to the side so she could sit up.

But Nolan would have none of it. "Uh, that's not true and you and I _both_ know it," he insisted directly while she glared back up at him, pleading with her eyes for him to let it go.

Nolan didn't budge. "Come on, Ems, it's time they know the truth. Everyone in this room cares about you," he tossed the stuff animal on the bed and came closer, prompting her to explain with a glare of his own.

Daniel corroborated Nolan's advice, folding his crossed arms tighter. "He's right, something has been going on with you lately – what is it, Em?" Rounding out the trio, David's eyes continued to stay fixed on her, and Emily knew she was finally backed into a corner.

Against her better wishes, she finally revealed the truth. "Alright. Here it is – I've been having blackouts." She looked at the confused expressions on Daniel and David's faces and knew she had to explain further. "It's something that I experienced last year," she began tentatively, putting her head down as she was forced to speak about a sensitive subject. "When Daniel and I were married. After my…injury…I struggled with repressed memories from the past. Aiden helped me to release them and I thought I had overcome it, but unfortunately…" she lifted her head back up to face them both. "…they came back."

"How long has this been going on?" David asked, while Daniel continued to listen, hanging his head a bit low in embarrassment.

"The past few weeks," Emily answered honestly, following a nod from Nolan. "They're not as bad as before - I've just been light headed and losing time. But when Nolan and I looked into it last year, we discovered it might be a result of inherited mental illness," she looked more directly at her father. "…the same thing Mom had."

Allowing him a moment to digest, Emily next turned to Daniel. "I didn't want to tell you because I know how important it is for me to be there to help you with Marshall," she pleaded, an apologetic tone matching the softness in her eyes. "Daniel, I promise, I'm going to do whatever I can to get through this. I won't let you down."

Daniel relaxed his arms, coming over to sit across from her in the chair that faced the bed. "Did you really think I wouldn't care just as much about your own health?" he asked her, shocked that she would keep it from him, but not surprised that her self-sacrificing spirit took precedent. "I want you to get better. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."

David watched the two of them, allowing Daniel time to console his daughter before he offered his input. "Amanda – your mother was extremely sick," he countered. "Regardless of what you found out, you can't be certain that it's the same."

"Tried to tell you that…" Nolan half sung under his breath.

"But what if this is how it starts out?" Emily insisted, her fear surfacing.

"Well then," David admonished her, still unshaken by the revelation. "You're just going to have to do what she didn't want to – get help, right away."

"You're going to see a doctor, Em," Daniel agreed with him, and Emily looked over at his insistent command. "And that's final," he added, putting his foot down.

Emily glanced from her father to Daniel to Nolan and back, and as a surprise to all of them, she accepted it. "Yes, sir," she answered, and Daniel took hold of her hand, thanking her for not being difficult with a gentle squeeze.

"Looks like someone finally got her to listen," David remarked, proud of Daniel for stepping up as her man, and feeling a sudden surge of relief that he was up to the challenge. "That's what fathers like to see," he added comfortably, clapping Daniel once on the shoulder as he rose to his feet. He leaned over to kiss Emily on her forehead once, and she half embraced him in return as he continued. "At least that lets me know should something ever happen; I don't have to worry about my daughter being taken care of."

He began to walk out of the room, leaving the three of them in peace. Emily smiled in return, recognizing it as a subtle hand-off of sorts, from fatherly responsibilities to the new man in her life. She chose that moment, before he was gone, to echo the words David had spoken to her in her dream, and in her memory from years ago. "As long as you never forget I love you," she called out to him.

David smiled as he stopped in the doorway, giving her the response that had left an imprint on her heart from childhood on, "Infinity times infinity."

Nolan watched, his heart melting at the exchange as he leaned against the dresser, and began to follow him out as well, sensing that as his cue. "Well, I don't want to infringe on any other timeless moments—I feel like I'm crowding the room a bit," he started to walk out but Emily stopped him.

"Wait," she insisted, looking over at Daniel for permission. "Daniel, do you mind giving us just a second? I need to talk to him before he leaves."

Daniel gave her a curious look but decided not to push the issue when she had already been agreeable before. "Of course," he replied, giving her a peck on the mouth before he got up to exit the room.

"Thank you," she answered with a smile, and once he was gone Nolan came over a bit closer as Emily's countenance suddenly grew serious and she reached into her pants back pocket where she had felt around before to make sure it was still there. A moment letter she produced it – the letter that she found on the windshield that she had managed to keep out of Daniel's sight when she blacked out in the parking garage.

"This is the reason why I lost it today," she explained to Nolan in a low whisper, handing him the letter so he could examine. "Daniel and I were at the publishing office this morning to pitch his book, when we found out there's a competitor trying to tell the same story—only his is a version portraying me as a liar and a murderer. I'll let you take a stab at who it is?"

"Oh, no," Nolan lamented, putting the hints together as he glossed over the letter. "Crazy Capote is back?"

"And he was there in the parking garage – he nearly took me out while I was reading this," Emily took partial hold of the letter, to gesture to one specific paragraph. "This is classic Mason—doctoring up these lies in his signature wild recanting of events."

"Well, you _did _predict his return after you stole his thunder with your coming out party during Victoria's trial," Nolan replied, continuing to study the letter.

"Yeah, well this isn't just about spite with Mason – he's trying to blackmail me," she clarified, pointing to another spot on the page. "Read the second paragraph, it's a message for what he wants me to do – he's looking for me to take the heat for Gordon Murphy's death or he releases the book before the week is over."

"Ouch," Nolan reacted, shaking his head. He looked up at his best friend, surprised that her expression wasn't more angered. "Ems— Mason is out to take you down, you're not going to just sit there and get red-sharpie'd are you?"

"I said I was done with this, but I won't let him take away Daniel's book, it means everything to him," she assured him. "And I'm not going down for a murder I didn't commit. Which is why I need your help – is there any way you can falsify an old trail leading back to Conrad as Gordon Murphy's killer? If I can at least get him a posthumous pardon for his crimes, maybe he'll give up his warpath so he can finally come out of hiding."

Nolan leaned his head to the side, trying to think over how he could pull it off. "It may require pulling a few strings," he glanced up at Emily. "But how are you going to explain how this just suddenly fell in your lap?"

"Leave that to me," Emily convinced him. "Can you do it?"

Nolan gave her a sarcastic look, as if to say, _Is the sky blue? _"Consider it already done," he guaranteed, but then gave her a nervous look as she began to get up, pulling herself together. "But Ems –" he glanced around, the letter still in hand while he remained conscious of keeping his voice low. "You're keeping the D-men in the dark on this one?" He was surprised; since she had made it clear she wanted her new life to be free of secrets, especially when it came to Daniel and her father.

Emily snatched the letter out of his hand, while she walked towards her dresser, answering his question. "Daniel's already had his share of being provoked since Margaux's death and I still have no idea what my father's up to, or where he's been for that matter," she removed her shirt and changed into another one from the drawer she opened, talking quickly as she spoke. "You didn't catch him mention that while you were outing me about my blackouts, did you?" She shot a pointed look his way as she walked past him to grab a case from her closet.

"Sorry doll, I know that was a dirty move – but someone had to do it," Nolan defended his actions without a pause, knowing it was in her best interests.

Emily brought the case over to her bed, snapping it open to reveal a few disks and a flash drive, and separated the front page of the letter to toss it inside. "Well, someone has to do this," she answered, closing it shut as she finished. "As far as I'm concerned, this is the last takedown—the less people that know - the better." She finished off her statement with conviction, nodding in Nolan's direction before slipping the case back into the top rung of her closet, and he knew the conversation would go no further.

Yet what neither of them knew was that they were not the only ears present to hear it. Despite Daniel leaving respectfully at Emily's request, David had remained behind and waited a few moments before returning to the outside of the door, leaning close to hear every word that Nolan and Emily just said. With a last look of interest as they finished the conversation, he quickly slipped away, keeping the latest information in mind towards his evolving plan.

SCENE

"Thank you for meeting me, Stevie," David greeted his lunch date as she arrived with a smile, sitting down at the table he reserved at a small café' on the outskirts of the city.

"This is an interesting choice for you," she remarked as she set her small clutch on the table and thanked the waiter who laid out her napkin and poured water into both of their glasses. "I thought since it's unseasonably warm, you'd want to meet down by the docks?"

David grinned to himself, aware that he had little reason to even be at the docks now that he had sold his boat, and allowed her time to get settled before telling her. "I would but, I've had to part with my boat recently."

"Oh?" Stevie replied in surprise. "But you just got it?"

He smiled, acknowledging. "Well, my house is about to get fuller – Amanda wants Daniel and the baby to move in full time now, and even though we have the space, I'm sure they'll need all the help they can spare. It's one less thing to worry about."

"Hmm, would've made a nice retreat for when it gets to be too much," she countered, making a good point. "But, either way I'll take what I can get," she continued, referring back to her comment about meeting him at the café', a rather forlorn look coming over her. "After not hearing from you the past few days I was beginning to wonder if our summers fling was over?" She added a sarcastic smile as she sipped her water, prompting David to respond to her implication.

"It's not that at all," he clarified, taking a long gaze into her eyes. "I've much enjoyed our time together… I don't want it to end." He looked around, ever conscious of his surroundings and forced himself to continue. "Unfortunately though, I've had a few… things to take care of. And Amanda just had a spell that made me a little concerned, that's all."

"Jack told me," Stevie replied with a nod of concern. "I hope she's doing better – I remember she struggled with a similar problem last year when I first met her."

David nodded in return, having just become aware of the circumstances around his daughter's blackouts. "Which brings me to what I wanted to talk with you about—"

"Listen, David," Stevie interrupted him, gently putting up a hand in defense. "You don't need to go easy on me, I can take it. It's been really nice getting close but I think both you and I know this couldn't last forever… If you think it's time we went our separate ways, I'll understand."

"What- no?" David looked at her in surprise, having genuinely not planned on breaking ties with her.

But Stevie continued, sure she was sparing him of the hardest part of it. "I'm needed back in L.A., and you have your daughter now," she offered sincerely. "Honestly it might even be the best for the children – they're all moving on with their lives. It's time we do the same, don't you think?"

David chuckled. "I couldn't agree with you more," he concurred, but shook his head. "But, truthfully that's not why I'm here." He tried to be sensitive to the needs she had just expressed. "And just so you know, the last night I came to see you, I asked for Jack's permission – if I could move on with my life…with you."

Stevie just smiled, taking it in and bowed her head graciously as David went on. "While I certainly respect if you want to leave … I would much prefer if you stayed," he looked to her for a nod of agreement which she returned quietly and sipped at her water, appreciating his honesty.

"That's a relief," she breathed, relaxing and allowed the conversation to shift forward. David took the opportunity to be upfront with her, knowing her sharp senses would pick up on his reason for meeting soon anyway.

"The truth is," he divulged, leaning a bit closer. "I was wondering if there was something you could look into for me – it has to do with Victoria's case."

Stevie's countenance grew serious and she waved off the waiter who had returned to take their orders. "What is it that you need to know?" she inquired.

David braced himself for her reaction. "As the prosecutor, would you be privy to any information regarding who she's been in contact with in the past few weeks?"

Stevie studied him for a moment, growing concerned at the nature of his request, and glanced down at her empty plate before responding. "It's not something that would be _openly_ communicated to me," she began. "However, that doesn't mean I couldn't get my hands on it." David nodded in return and Stevie dropped the pretense. "What is this for, David?"

"Stevie, I wish you could tell you, but… I need you to trust me," David insisted, to which she leaned back in her chair, clearly not comfortable.

"David, think about this," she encouraged him, shaking her head. "Whatever lead you're onto, it doesn't matter. Victoria is getting transferred to Rykers _as we speak_ – this is _over_." She paused, giving him a sorrowful look as she wondered if it would ever truly be over for the Clarke family. "It's time you both let it go."

"I am letting it go," David retorted briskly, growing a bit exasperated. "But part of moving forward is making sure that once it's behind us, we're not looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives." He stared back at her darkly, to which she sighed, trying her best to remain calm. "Stevie, Amanda is preparing to raise a family of her own. From what I understand it's possible that there is someone out there – someone who may be working with Victoria that still wants to _hurt_ that family." He removed his napkin from his lap as he became more emotional than expected, his anger slowly returning to the surface. "I'm not just going to stand by and allow that. And if you won't help me then I'll have to find someone who will."

His expression softened to disappointment as he began to get up from his seat, but before he could go, Stevie stopped him with the gesture of her hand. "David, wait," she insisted, raising her voice slightly, and he looked at her and quickly sat back down. "There's no need for the dramatics," she tried to laugh it off, hoping her lightness would help him relax. She looked around, checking to make sure no one was in earshot, and then responded.

"What do you need to know?

SCENE

"Alright, Ms. Clarke, we're just going to run some blood work first before we do any tests, just to make sure that your levels are normal," the doctor instructed Emily as she sat on the patient's bed with her arm outstretched, her sleeve rolled up halfway.

She had complied with Daniel's wishes, going to the doctor to see if there was anything else that could be done about her condition, only she had requested he let her go alone. As much as she wanted him there with her, she had an errand to run first, plus she was waiting on confirmation from Nolan that the job for Mason was done and couldn't risk Daniel's prying eyes. Instead, she had convinced him to just go a few blocks away to visit his son, hoping that there would be an update on when Marshall could come home, and planned to meet him afterwards so they could go to lunch in the city together.

"When was the last time you had a physical?" the doctor asked, observing as the nurse drew blood from Emily's arm, and making some notes on his computer.

"Longer than I can remember," Emily sighed with a thought. "It's been a pretty eventful summer."

"Alright," the doctor replied, signaling her to roll down her sleeve once the nurse was done getting her samples. "We're just going to run a few labs and then we'll take you down for an x-ray. It'll be a short wait," he assured her before exiting the room.

"Take your time," Emily insisted, waiting until the door was firmly shut before picking up her phone and dialing Nolan. He answered within the first few rings. "Hey—what's the status?"

"Project 'Free-Mason' is a go," Nolan replied, pulling up data on his computer at his kitchen table. "Since you dropped off the case of evidence at the DA's office this morning, I picked up several different access scans on the trail we left for them to find, leading to Conrad," he confirmed.

"Good," Emily replied, glad that her plan went over as intended. She had stopped by the District Attorney's office before going to the doctor's, the case of evidence in hand; including Nolan's last addition that led directly back to Conrad for Gordon Murphy's murder. Emily had explained how she found the case under a baseboard while cleaning out the Manor just prior to the sale and thought to turn it in immediately.

"And your local lawgiver just sent out an email to the Head Justice…" Nolan waited for his hack on the DA's subsystem to come through. "…now. Mason should be 'treading well' again by the weekend." He leaned back from the computer screen, satisfied at his handiwork.

"Awesome work, Nolan – thank you," Emily replied, pausing as she heard the call waiting signal on her phone. She looked at the ID but it only came up as an unknown number. She put the receiver back to her ear. "Looks like he's tapped into the same party line is you – I'll call you right back."

"Ciao," Nolan quipped as she ended the call and clicked over.

"Ah, Ms. Thorne," Mason's easily recognizable voice sang through the other line as Emily answered, sneering in response. "Or should I say, Ms. Clarke? Or maybe it's even Mrs. Grayson—or is that just wishful thinking? So hard to keep up with what you're calling yourself these days, you do have so _many _elusive identities—"

"It's done, Mason," Emily cut him short, growing impatient. "You're officially cleared of any implication, with any luck the pardon will be announced before the weekend."

"Excellent work my dear!" he smiled wildly on the other side, sitting by himself in an empty trailer with only a large bottle of wine to keep him company. "But then again you always were a professional dealer of fates when you put your mind to it. Can't say I blame you for not taking the rap yourself – why bother smearing Daddy's name any further, hm?"

"No, that's your job," she retorted, not finished until she was certain his assault was ended. "Call off your tell-all, or you'll be reading that trash from another cell."

"Oh, I _do _love the genre of nonfiction, but if fiction is what you prefer then…suit yourself," he cajoled, implying he had followed her instructions. "I've already reached out to the publishing company with a slight retraction… I'm sure Daniel's book will be a bestseller—hey, maybe they'll even make a movie out of it?" he chided, laughing to himself. "Nah, who are we kidding, it's a soapy ABC drama at best—"

"Cut the crap, Mason," Emily interrupted, growing annoyed as she listened for footsteps in the hall, thinking she heard the nurses returning. "Did you hold up to your end of the agreement?"

"Consider the manuscript _ashes,"_ he confirmed, causing Emily to finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Much like the home that you burned before my very eyes – one I of course, expect you to replace." He grinned devilishly as he held the phone to his ear. "I'm adding that as a stipulation to our agreement and please – not some flimsy hut in the Maldives, I'd like something with a little more personality if you don't mind?"

Emily rolled her eyes at his increasing demands but considered them worth it to get him off her back. Plus they happened to work right in line with the tail end of her and Nolan's plan. "Fine – text me your routing number and the money will be there within the hour."

"Consider it done," Mason agreed.

"Oh, and Mason?" Emily continued before ending their conversation. "I better not see or hear from you again – I would hate to alter the terms of our agreement any further."

"Don't worry, dear," Mason assured her. "You can consider _me_ as good as off the grid," he paused for a moment. "Now Victoria, on the other hand? Well, that's a different story…" a tasty thought struck him. "Hey, maybe Danny can write that one too? Who doesn't love a saucy sequel?"

Emily's eyes narrowed in confusion but before she could pursue it the call ended, leaving her with a dial tone and breathing rapidly, full of intrigue at what Mason meant by his allusion to Victoria. Just then, before she could try to trace the call back, the doctor walked back in with the nurse and she quickly tucked her phone away, shaking the concern off her face so she could pay attention.

"Ms. Clarke," the doctor addressed her with a serious tone, holding a folder in hand and looking over at the nurse beside him. "We were about to take you in, but I'm afraid I noticed something in your preliminary results… something I think that you'll want to be aware of."

"Yes?" Emily responded, her face turning rigid. She glanced back and forth from the doctor to the nurse, growing nervous at the silence.

"What is it?"

END OF CHAPTER

**Author's Note: Back again my revengers! I feel like I'm updating super often this week but I can't help it – work is slow and I'm dreading Sunday, when it all comes to an end **** So I'm trying to get this nearly completed but I promise to save the best for last… So what did you think of the latest installment? A flashback, a big revelation, a perfect takedown and an intriguing cliffhanger – I tried to pull out all the stops for you! So what do you think - what could be up Mason's sleeve? And what did Emily's bloodwork come back to show? Answers will be given and storylines will reach their climax in the 2****nd**** to last installment – Chapter 6, coming very soon! I hope you enjoyed and please let me know your predictions and thoughts. Thanks for all your support, you readers are the BEST! ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame**


	6. Chapter 6

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

**Chapter 6**

**Author's Note: For the penultimate chapter in this episode, I recommend reading the opening scene with the following musical track in mind (or in background) – "Team" by Lorde. The opening to that song has a very ominous, harrowing feel to it, that I think perfectly illustrates the tempo of the scene below, where Victoria is being transferred to Ryker's prison as she awaits her life sentence. In addition, please note that this chapter is a bit longer than usual, as it serves to complete a few storylines on the show in the present stream of time – whereas the next (and final) chapter will be including a time jump, and will serve as an epilogue, as many of you have inquired about previously. So sit tight, and enjoy the last ride! **

Victoria rode in silence, swaying slightly as the transportation vehicle hit bumps along the road. She was shackled in her seat, the lone prisoner being transferred from Suffolk County Police Station to Ryker's correctional facility for that day's schedule, and had only the armed guard across from her to keep her company. The driver and passenger seats were gated off, and Victoria stared out the window wistfully, patiently awaiting the fate on the other side of the island.

As they passed by a woodsy area of the highway, the driver glanced into the rear view mirror, a sinister look on his face. Only his eyes were visible, the rest of his appearance being concealed by the gate that separated the driver's pod.

Suddenly, the van dipped slightly on the road, and Victoria looked over in response, as did the guard across from her. Before either could properly react, the vehicle swerved drastically, sending Victoria falling to her side on her seat and the guard nearly fell completely backwards. "Hey!" he yelled out to the driver, as Victoria shrieked in alarm.

But again, the vehicle swerved, this time careening into the shoulder lane of the highway and flying into the ditch that outlined the woods, nearly flipping on its side as the driver struggled to balance the weight.

"What the hell is going on up there-!" the guard roared, reaching for his weapon, when the driver suddenly screeched the van to a halt, nearly hitting several trees in the process, and turned around, firing one perfectly aimed shot into the rear of the van, striking the guard in the knee.

The guard yelped out in pain, and within seconds the driver had leaped out of the van, came around to the backdoor, producing a set of keys and entered. As Victoria watched, the guard reached for his weapon again, only to have the driver knock it out of his hand, and then use his own gun to pistol whip him into silence.

Victoria watched the weapon slide in her direction, and then took her eyes away from it to concentrate on the driver, who leered towards her after having knocked the guard unconscious. She managed to get her chained hands into the air, begging off in a gesture of surrender, and watched in fear as the driver suddenly pulled his gun on her and fired.

She screamed in shock, and then opened her tightly squeezed eyelids to see that rather than shoot her, the driver had neatly shot the chain that shackled her wrists together, and she was now free. He lowered the gun nodding towards the open door that he had entered through, gesturing for her to leave and finally spoke. "He's waitin' on ya," he grumbled, gesturing his head. "'Bout a quarter of a mile back through them woods…"

Victoria shivered, realizing that this was the release she was waiting for, and a surge of excitement and relief came over her. She rose from where she stood, keeping her eyes on the driver as he hopped out of the van and returned to the driver's seat, clearly having his own agenda to complete once she was gone. She glanced around nervously, and then finally seized the opportunity, making her way past the unconscious guard, and leaping out of the van looking around for which direction to go.

The driver pointed her back towards the woods again, and Victoria could see more clearly the path he was referring to. With a liberated expression full of her regality and confidence, she whispered back to him, "Thank you for this." To which he nodded, as she shut the door. Within moments he had pulled off and Victoria turned and began to run with all her might.

SCENE

Daniel struggled to enter the back door at the beach house; his arms full of bags, one carrying a large contraption for Marshall that he knew would require a significant amount of time and energy to put together. He set as much as he could down at once, calling out for Emily at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, I'm back!" he yelled out, trying to get her attention as he attempted to sort out some of the contents of the bags, separating a few.

"I'm up here!" she yelled back, not immediately coming downstairs.

Daniel continued to empty the bags out, putting away a few cases of formula, several bottles and various other baby items. He looked around for another bag that he must have left in the car. "Hey, Em – listen I'm sorry about cancelling lunch today!" he called upstairs again, sincerity in his voice. "But when the doctors said Marshall could come home as early as the weekend I had to make a few stops…"

Before heading back outside to retrieve the rest, he stopped, his eyes fixing on one last bag that he had fallen out of his grip when he walked in. Seeing it had what he was looking for, he took hold of the contents and began to make his way upstairs.

"Babe, I promise I'll make it up to you—" he began as he came to the top of the stairs and then stopped short, catching sight of Emily in one of the guest rooms that they rarely ever used. He doubled back and walked into the room slowly; observing how thoroughly it had been cleaned out, with Emily perched on a short ladder, taping off the outline of the window sill. "Hey – what's all this?" he asked.

Emily turned, wiping her hands as she stepped down from the ladder, and looked down at Daniel's side where she noticed he held a fresh bouquet of roses. "Aw—Daniel? How sweet," she remarked, kissing him softly as she accepted the flowers.

"Ems is this—what I think it is?" he began, and she completed what he was thinking.

"A nursery?" she finished. "Yes." She stood back and looked around at her handiwork, having nearly transformed the entire room into a beautiful blue-themed sanctum for baby Marshall, only needing a few pieces of furniture to complete it, and the finishing touches on the windows. "And from the sound of things, it seems to be good timing… I can't believe he's coming home already."

Daniel walked around the room, looking at all the details in amazement, before turning back around to face her. "You want us to live here with you—are you sure about this?"

Emily sighed, thinking it rather obvious. "Well you've been staying here the past few days, what did you expect?" she came over to him to put her arms around his neck, still toting the roses behind him, and he held her waist in return. "I checked with my father and he loves the idea. We can always look for a place of our own but for now… its important Marshall has a place to get settled—somewhere to call home."

Daniel smiled broadly, ever impressed at Emily's range of versatility, from being a skilled tactician to a loyal girlfriend and now a potential mother to his newborn child, she stepped up to the task at hand without hesitation. He kissed her on her forehead, thanking her sincerely, and allowed her to continue explaining what she had in mind.

"The furniture gets delivered tomorrow," she confirmed efficiently, and nodded in the direction of the downstairs. "And in the meantime I'm sure you have plenty to play with beforehand?"

"Right, that reminds me—" Daniel broke away softly, remembering the things he had left sprawled on the floor. He dashed down the steps to retrieve them, leaving her in the room alone. "I might need your help with some of this!...Hey babe – how did the doctor's visit go?" he called back up to her.

Seconds later he returned with his arms full, and Emily stopped him, concealing a piece of paper in hand. "Fine – there's nothing to worry about," she smiled simply. "Just a few lapses but, they don't think it's anything of concern…"

"Good," Daniel exhaled, setting down the many bags on the floor of the nursery as he expressed his relief that she was going to be alright. "Because I have so much to do I barely know where to start… I'm sorry; I don't think we could handle any more bad news right now." He rested his hands on his hips as he breathed in and out, clearly excited but exhausted by the responsibility that was approaching ever nearer.

Emily nodded, a bit reserved, and glanced down at the paper, folding it neatly in her hand and putting it behind her back. "Well then how about some good news?" she offered as Daniel looked to her with bright eyes, and continued. "The publishing office phoned – your competitor pulled his manuscript. The Amanda Clarke Story is officially yours to keep."

"Thank God!" Daniel sighed, coming over to wrap Emily in a huge embrace, lifting her up a bit into the air. She laughed at his enthusiasm, wriggling slightly out of his grasp as he set her down to peer into her face, cupping it with both hands. "Finally, everything I've ever wanted is happening. Em… nothing can stop us now. Now that the truth is out, and I have you with me," he shook his head as he looked deep into her eyes. "We can finally begin our lives together…I can't wait to spend the rest of it with you and Marshall."

"Me too," Emily replied, nearly in tears, a reserve still barely noticeable in her eyes. She put her head down to conceal it, but Daniel mistook it only as the same excitement that overwhelmed him too.

"Hey, look," he consoled her. "I promise I won't make this hard on you and your dad – I'll stay up all night with Marshall, you won't have to do a thing."

"Daniel, no," Emily shook her head, unwilling to let him do it all by himself. "Please, I want to help…I need the exp—" her voice faded as Daniel captured her lips with his, overtaken by emotion and his love for her. His passion was nearly unstoppable when he was like this and she resisted the urge to pull away so she could finish what she was saying, only folded into his arms, deepening the kiss as he pulled her close.

He separated briefly to whisper, "I love you so much," and then glanced into her eyes as he paused to ask her a question. "Hey – you sure it won't be awkward with your dad in the next room?" he asked.

Emily laughed softly in response. "It's only until we get our own place…we can keep it quiet until then."

Daniel nodded, kissing her again, pausing to speak. "Where is he anyway?"

She glanced upwards with a devilish look in her eyes. "Ah. Not….here?"

Daniel smiled again leaning forward as he closed his mouth over hers, this time without interruption.

"Then why not take advantage of the time alone…"

SCENE

Victoria stopped to catch her breath as she trudged through the woods, leaning up against a tree trunk as she peered ahead, a twinkle of light catching her eye. She exhaled again, finally regaining her strength and kept her focus on the light ahead, realizing she must have reached her destination. As she took a few paces it came into view – a trailer set back, just like it had been described in the letter. Its writer was none other than Mason Treadwell – the definition of an unexpected ally, as his contact had surprised her more than she anticipated after the conclusion of the trial. She remembered the directions he had provided – urging her that a sentence to life in prison would be the best thing she could ask for, as it would provide her the opportunity to escape en route. And now she had finally arrived, free of the sentence that appeared to contain her, and prepared to start a new life, with a new identity.

She glanced around as she tiptoed forwards, checking to make sure no one was nearby or watching her, but as far as she could see, she was alone in the secluded woods. She entered the trailer carefully, pushing open the door that rested slightly ajar.

"Mason?" she whispered softly, expecting him to be there waiting for her, but the trailer was pitch black, matching the darkened woods around them. She leered forward slowly, watching her steps as she made her way through the narrow cabin, reaching up and down the walls for a light switch. The glint of moonlight caught the rear window and finally she saw it – the outline of Mason's familiar figure, seated in the bunk at the back of the trailer.

"Mason," she exhaled in relief, speeding up her steps as she walked over to him, finally catching hold of a light switch beneath her fingers. Yet, eerily he did not respond, and Victoria's heart nearly stopped as she finally flicked on the light, revealing Mason indeed – gagged and tied up, and clearly unconscious.

Victoria shrieked and immediately turned around, staring directly down the barrel of a gun pointed right at her head.

"Hello Victoria," the familiar voice behind it called out, and with angst Victoria squinted in the light, seeing who it was, and nearly dropping to her knees at the sight. But instead of falter, she remained calm; taking a deep breath as she boldly met her foe who stood before her without fear.

"Hello, David."

SCENE

Louise smiled to herself as she arranged a large mason jar, converted to a functional vase, full of fresh flowers on the table in the dining area at Jack's house. Something about entertaining gave her a sense of purpose and excitement, and Jack's home made such a warm setting for a dinner party. She stood back; admiring the two tables they set up together, draped with a large tablecloth and dinner settings, and adjusted the flowers once more before feeling it was finished. Carl played on the floor behind her in the background and she glanced over to him for his seal of approval, whispering an inner thought in his direction.

"What do you think, Carl – is there still hope for me yet as a housewife?"

"Yes, there is," Jack answered for him, startling Louise as he suddenly emerged from the kitchen, catching her in her daydream. She gave him an embarrassed look, realizing she could be perceived as a bit preemptive with her housewife fantasy, but Jack didn't mind at all, and was actually comforted by her clear hopes for the future. "You know I think it's so sweet of you," he continued, setting down the dish he had brought out and walking over to hug her from behind. "To suggest having Daniel and Emily over tonight…"

Louise smiled in response, relishing his affection with a returned caress of his arms. "And David, too," she reminded him, pecking him on the cheek before he returned to helping her set up. "Wouldn't want your mother to be without a date, now would I?" A knock sounded at the door.

"Right," Jack acknowledged with a chuckle, as he stopped short to go back and answer it. "Hopefully Nolan doesn't mind being the only single at the table—" he pulled the door open to reveal him in the flesh.

"Uh—touche'?" Nolan responded in mock offense, overhearing the last comment. He smirked, brushing it off as he walked through the door, handing Jack a bottle of top shelf wine, likely from his selection at the beach club. "Just so you know, while I'd enjoy the company of a dinner date, I _much _prefer being on 'Uncle' duties tonight." With his comment he scooped up Carl, who came running over to him, and tickled him in his arms. "This little guy is the best wingman ever! Looks like we're the only bachelors, huh buddy?"

Jack laughed and closed the door, as Louise came over to greet Nolan while he held Carl. "Aww, well at least he'll have a little buddy to play with soon," she added, ruffling his hair. She turned back towards Jack. "What's Daniel's son's name again?"

"Marshall Leigh Grayson," Jack answered, fondly remembering the moment he and Daniel came to a formidable respect for one another; the moment Daniel saw his son for the first time and properly named him. "Named after Margaux," he added.

"So sweet," Louise cooed, making faces at Carl while Nolan juggled him in his arms. She suddenly sniffed into the air and turned her attention to Jack again. "Oh, hun can you get the pie out of the oven? I think it's done."

Jack nodded, shooting a glance at Nolan before he headed off to the kitchen. "Got my orders…"

"You know how baking makes me happy," Louise shrugged to Nolan, while Carl outstretched his hands towards her. Nolan shifted so she could take him, watching them interact proudly. "And so does this guy!"

"I take it this was your idea then," Nolan commented, looking around and gesturing to the set table with his now freed hands. "Very June Cleaver."

"Well, there never was a proper wake after the funeral," Louise explained, her Southern roots shining through as she rested Carl on her hip and admired her handiwork. "And with Emily having that spell recently… I don't know, I just thought it would be nice for us all to get together. At least once, to say we tried, right?"

Nolan just shook his head in admiration, fully in agreement with her attempt at pulling them all together. "So proud to say I was once married to you," he commended her, eliciting a grin from her in return.

"Speaking of wedding bells," Louise replied, a thought coming to mind. "When I called Emily to confirm they could make it, she mentioned her and Daniel have a big announcement… has she mentioned anything to you? You think they're going to make their family official?"

"…_Again?_" Nolan remarked, acknowledging their past attempt at matrimony. "Well if so, she hasn't spilled the beans to me… although with a new baby that sure would be a lot at once," he reasoned, leaning over to pop an appetizer in his mouth from the table spread. "But, if anyone can handle it—"

"Emily can," they both finished in unison, with a chuckle. Keys were heard jiggling in the door lock, and after a pause, Nolan volunteered to get it. He opened it wide and Stevie entered, thanking him for the assist as her arms were full with her briefcase and a few folders. Louise shifted Carl to her other hip and approached to greet her.

"Oh, good – you're a bit early!" Louise announced, to a surprised look from Stevie. She froze in place, looking from Nolan to Louise, to the set table just beyond where they were standing.

"Ah… did I forget something?" she asked.

"Family dinner?" Louise reminded her; surprised she had forgotten already from their conversation earlier. "Ok, so technically I'm not family but you're all family to me. I just thought I'd start a friendly tradition… well you don't mind do you?" Louise got nervous at Stevie's lack of response.

"Oh sure," Stevie lied, trying to brush past it, while something else clearly weighed on her mind.

"Sorry, I just – had a few things to do today...it slipped my mind." She set down her keys on the table and kept her purse tucked under her shoulder as she started for the steps. "I'll be down shortly."

Once she was gone, Nolan closed the open door, looking at Louise for confirmation that she was acting strangely, to which she agreed. "Wonder what that was all about – I told her this morning?"

"Louise – a hand in here?!" Jack yelled out from the kitchen, interrupting her and Nolan's looks of confusion.

She shook her head, not surprised that he was struggling with the cooking end of things, and passed Carl back over to Nolan. "Sorry—can you?"

"Go, go," he shooed her away, not minding in the least. He thought about just putting Carl down to play on his own but rarely had time to spend with him one on one, and rather enjoyed his cozy disposition. "So," he asked him, as Carl played absent mindedly with his colorful tie. "Are you as excited about 'Auntie 'Em's announcement as I am?"

He paused; realizing his reference to Emily sounded like an unintentional homage to the award winning Best Picture, and laughed, as Carl smiled back up at him. "Did I just say… _Auntie Em?_" he rolled his eyes, and walked him back over to his play area. "Well come on, little 'munchkin', if the Hamptons are Oz, I guess that makes me… The Wizard?" He thought for a moment, an even funnier parallelism coming to mind as they disappeared out of the room.

"At least we can finally say goodbye to the Wicked Queen of the West – Ding, Dong… the _witch is dead..._"

SCENE

**Author's Note: I usually don't do this in the middle of a story, but as this is the final scene for this chapter, I felt it was important to set the tone. In the events that transpire below, there are references made to unseen or unknown details from the past – please picture these as full-on flashbacks, as seen through the eyes of the person speaking. In addition, for any of you die-hard Revenge fans who have the soundtrack, the melody for 'Mortal Vindication' is best suited for this scene as well. Ok – enjoy!**

"Are you surprised to see me?" David asked Victoria, not taking his eyes off of her once since he had leveled the gun squarely at her head.

He moved forward slowly, impelling her to take a step back, but they continued to stand face-to-face. Mason was still restrained beside them, unconscious, and posed no threat as David had taken precautions to ensure he would be asleep with plenty of time to allow him to corner Victoria alone.

"Not entirely," Victoria responded calmly, and David smirked at her prideful response. "Although I gave you more credit – I assumed Amanda would show up instead."

David nodded, raising his eyebrows. "You would've liked that, wouldn't you? Having her here…the person you've hated the most… to hear your final words?"

Victoria pinched her mouth into a smile, exuding power despite being trapped. "If she were here, they wouldn't be my last words, now would they? You and I both know your daughter's never had the guts to kill a human being of her own accord," she paused to recollect. "Malcolm was an exception, but that was self-defense."

"Something I'm proud of her for," David sneered, drawing conviction from his love for his daughter. "She's never sank to that level. But people like you and I?" he gestured with his head towards her. "Well we're different."

"That we are," Victoria agreed, taking another step back, and David raised the gun in protest, forcing her to be still. Instead of continuing to move she merely glanced around her surroundings. "So tell me, David – how did you come to this decision?"

"With difficulty," David divulged, his breath raspy as he spoke. "But it was something I knew from the moment you were sentenced to life in prison – it had to be done." He paused, explaining the reason. "You were never going to accept that fate."

Victoria laughed through her sinister smile, recognizing how well he knew her. "I was never cut out for the brutality of prison life, you of all people know that's true," she began to reveal, seeing this would be the last time another living soul could listen to her story. "But of course I assumed my only other option was death… that is, until the one person who had been wronged by Amanda and sought his own vindication…reached out to me."

"Mason," David finished, glancing over at his motionless form.

Victoria nodded as she did the same, thinking back to the moment in the prison cell when she received Mason's letter, explaining in detail the plan he had in mind to get Victoria out.

David continued to listen as Victoria recalled further. "Mason had his own reasons for wanting Amanda to get her rightful comeuppance, as she wasted no time breaking the deal she had with him for his exclusive story. But he saw her revelation of her true identity as a path to freedom for me, rather than a sentence to death…" Again, Victoria's vivid memory portrayed her own image of Mason, watching the trial closely and seeing the shock and surprise on Margaux's face as Emily unraveled Victoria's defense.

"He encouraged me to play right into Margaux's questioning," she continued. "Going into hysterics on the stand… convincing the jury of my guilt… Knowing that the more adamant Margaux became in revealing the truth, the more likely she would be to try to pin me for the murder herself… rather than letting the prosecution have the final word."

David thought back to the moment she was referring to, furrowing his brow as he realized that Victoria knew what was coming to her from Margaux from day one and played right along. Her act was seamless – she had thoroughly convinced them all, that she never saw her attack coming.

"The conviction would be inevitable, but with the weight of argument resting on the defenses weakness rather than a strong prosecution – it would lean in favor of a prison sentence," she continued, recalling the moment it was announced, and then adding to it a memory of Mason's final letter. "…Availing Mason with the opportunity to hijack the van during the transfer, while keeping Amanda distracted and ultimately occupied with his own blackmail – a conquest to redeem his name."

Suddenly, Victoria grew serious, as she recalled the events that occurred just prior. "But what I didn't expect was for Margaux to show her face before it all happened…" she thought back to Margaux's hurt and condemning replies to her the day she visited, and the pain that weighed upon her as she was forced to listen.

David finally interjected, having heard enough of her excuses. "Seems like there were a lot of things you didn't expect. Like facing judgment for your actions, for one," he chided her.

"I couldn't face her betrayal!" Victoria countered, her emotions over Margaux's death quickly filling her eyes with tears and shaking her voice. "As much as I knew the plan depended on it, it sickened me to hear her say those words," she looked down. "And I lost it… I never meant to hurt her—"

"But you did," David interrupted. "Just like you never meant to hurt me… or Amanda," he continued, firmly turning her own argument on her. "You've been lying to yourself for years, trying to hide behind Conrad, behind Daniel," he paused. "Even behind the life we created together – Charlotte. But the truth is, the only person you truly care about – is yourself."

Victoria finally sank back onto the seat behind her, and while David stepped closer to watch her carefully, he did not object, feeling compelled to tell his own story. "Do you know how easy it was for me to find out your pathetic plan?" he asked her rhetorically, to which she only looked away. "It was simple – that ploy you set up to release Mason's book? That led me right to him. Finding the communication between you and him from prison was even easier… all I had to do was show up at the same place and the same time."

David paused as he recanted memories of his own execution of his plan, thinking back to how he hired his former cellmate who once served as law enforcement to pay off the driver in the transfer van…how he tracked down Mason into the very corner of the woods where they stood… and lastly how he distracted Stevie into thinking he needed her help to tap Victoria's communication, knowing she would incidentally mention the day of her transfer, buying him the opportunity to set it all in motion. It had all worked out perfectly, without a single hitch...until now.

"Oh, David," Victoria tilted her head at him in mock pity. "I used to love you so…How did you ever come this far? How did you ever become this person?"

David shrugged, knowing full well he had lost his way a long time ago, but that he owed it to his daughter to offer penance for the biggest mistake he ever made, falling for Victoria.

"With difficulty," he replied, echoing his first answer to her upon arriving. "Do you want to know how I came to plan this moment?" he asked, answering himself immediately. "With pleasure."

With that he raised the gun high, aimed directly at her head, but in natural fashion, she silenced him with just a few words to kill his momentum. "You were right about me, David," she replied, giving him pause. "I've always hated Amanda… but despite how much I loathed her, I admit – she's shown herself to have more redeeming qualities than even _you_."

David lowered the gun, if only to corroborate her statement. "You know, you're right. Amanda tried to stop me from doing this," he turned the gun to gesture to the rest of the trailer. "From coming here, from going after you… she wanted me to let it all go. In the end," he nodded with realization and his own deep feeling of pride. "She learned forgiveness."

Victoria smiled. "Perhaps she and I can come to a common understanding after all," she resolved, seeing her end nearing. "Which is why I'm proud to say… there is one truth that I've kept… one lie that I told to her, that in due time she will see was my last gift – a peace offering between enemies. My own act of forgiveness."

"Oh really?" David asked. "And what's that?"

Victoria eyed the barrel of the gun, still pointed in her direction but slightly off aim, and she knew it was her only opportunity. "I guess you'll never know now, will you?" She laughed to herself. "Funny, isn't it? You should've listened to your daughter… from day one."

David looked down slightly in confusion, and the pause was all Victoria needed. Seizing his brief lapse in concentration, Victoria quickly dug into her pocket to reveal the gun that the guard lost control of in the van, that had slid in her direction. She had deftly pocketed it before the driver could see, just in case. And how handy it had come to be – as she seized hold of it into her grasp, David's glance returned to her and for a frozen moment in time they locked eyes, staring deeply into each other's souls and the fate they were about to face as they both squeezed and pulled the trigger.

In that moment, gunshots from each of their weapons fired, echoing into the stillness of the woods and deep into the black night, signaling the end of the war and the last steps of a journey.

It had ended just as it had begun – with Revenge.

END OF CHAPTER

**Author's Note: And so concludes the penultimate installment my friends! There is one remaining chapter I will post, that will be an epilogue, taking place some time after the events above. As the series is also coming to its end I thought it fitting to hold off on posting, and save it as a treat for Monday, while we're all recovering from Revenge withdrawal =/ In the meantime, please please – tell me what you thought! Did you like the ending? Did you expect it? You may have noticed that some storylines still have yet to be resolved, however I promise these will be finally addressed (along with many of your pressing questions) in the final chapter, Chapter 7. Please stay tuned and know how much I've enjoyed writing this fanfic and I sincerely appreciate all your feedback, it has been such a joy to read! I thank you for your support and look forward to posting a hopefully satisfying end, one last time! ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame**


	7. Chapter 7 - Finale

**Episode 16 "Infinity"**

**Chapter 7 – Epilogue (FINALE)**

**Author's Note: So for the epilogue detailed below, the portrayal of the first sequence of events is intended to be "seen" in your mind's eye as a montage of different scenes with our favorite Revenge characters, at the same moment in time, 6 months into the future. There is no dialogue written until the montage ends, which should tie up the final storyline. To assist in envisioning the montage, I recommend the background music "Avenue" by Agnes Obel, a tune used in the Season 1 of the series. I hope I was able to do this final chapter justice, and I do hope you enjoy…**

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

Nolan placed a gentle hand on the back of the companion that stood beside him, who stared ahead with realization and acceptance at his mother's headstone. It was Patrick, her firstborn son, having first come face to face with the evidence of his mother's death, there in the flesh. Beside it still stood Conrad's elaborate grave setting, as if welcoming that of his deceased wife's beside him, the plot being purchased years prior and only just filled despite their long terminated vows.

Conscious of the time he needed to grieve, Nolan breathed a respectful sigh and stepped away, taking advantage of the location to visit the other graves of dear loved ones. He walked one row ahead to see the other headstones he remembered, signifying the heavy tolls of loss that all had endured… _Officer Ben Hunter_, an unfortunate loss that seemed to be the crux of so many events in the past year, and yet morbidly led to the demise of Victoria.

He walked a few rows ahead…_ Aiden Mathis_… a site that Nolan knew Emily still came to visit, when she was able, and Daniel respected, visiting Margaux's site for his own sake as well. It surprised Nolan that Daniel had her buried in the Hamptons, rather than in France beside her father, but no doubt it comforted him as he raised their son, knowing that when he was old enough, he too could come to visit and make peace with the dearly departed.

Another row ahead. _Declan Porter. _His was a loss the least mentioned but never forgotten. And then beside his setting… _Emily Thorne_, a name Nolan came to associate with his dearest and best friend, but that truly represented a completely different person: the woman formerly known as Amanda Clarke. Jack had taken measures after Victoria's trial, to ensure that the headstone be switched to properly name his deceased wife, while the world knew that the real Amanda still lived. Even so, it was hard for Nolan to stare at it, being so deeply entrenched in the habit of calling the real Amanda Clarke – Emily.

With his last thought of Emily, Nolan clutched at the rose he held in hand, piercing the metaphoric thorns into his flesh. He gathered enough courage and finally walked back, past where Patrick stood, still grieving, and on ahead to the rows at the beginning of the burial site, until he found it – the grave he had yet to visit since its foundation. He wept upon seeing it, breathing slowly as he gently laid the rose before the marble inscription that wrenched his heart to see.

_David Clarke. _

SCENE

Stevie walked briskly down the steps of the courthouse as the afternoon daylight began to expire, relieved to be leaving a full day's work at a reasonable hour. She paused once as she passed a newsstand, and doubled back to pick up the headline that she had ignored throughout her busy day. She left payment on the stand counter as she stopped to read it in place, holding it open so any one passing by could read the bold headline:

_Resurrected Author Turned Hit-Man Faces Double Murder Trial._

She grinned at her handiwork, having played the senior role in seeing Mason Treadwell fully prosecuted for his clear implication in the murders of David Clarke and Victoria Grayson. The article depicted exactly what the public was led to believe – Mason had set out to entrap both David and Victoria, promising them both with the prospect of the assassination of the other. Details of the evidence submitted were sprinkled throughout the article, from his presence at the crime scene, to the large sum of money that was transferred into his account that same day – shown to be clear evidence of bounty payment, despite Stevie secretly knowing that it was Mason's blackmail request paid in full by Emily.

Filled with a sense of vindication at the trial that waited, Stevie closed the newspaper and tucked it under her arm, departing from the newsstand to head back to the apartment she had moved into not far from Jack, after her final decision to stay in the Hamptons…

SCENE

Jack knelt down at the bottom of the steps to button Carl's jacket, requiring a little bit of concentration as his son had grown so big and wouldn't hold still as often now that he had more energy to move around. He got him to wait just long enough so he could finish putting on his little suit jacket, and Carl was out of his hands in seconds, running back into the living room to play with the new dog – a golden retriever puppy that Emily had given to him and Louise as a wedding present.

He smiled as he admired his son playing with the dog excitedly, and memories ran through his mind of a similar moment years ago, when Emily, then Amanda, asked him to watch over Sammy when he was but a puppy. The memories impelled him to glance upon the dresser near the doorway as he waited for Louise to join him by the door, and his eyes fell over their wedding photo, which they proudly displayed to celebrate their union. It was hard to believe it had already been a month since the tranquil ceremony at Nolan's beach club, and Jack smiled as he reminisced on how beautiful that day was – how complete it felt to have all their close friends there, that they would be seeing again shortly in just a few hours at Emily's home.

As usual his heart sank a bit as he recalled the one person who was unable to attend, and his eyes next fell on the photo that sat just beside their wedding portrait – a rare capture of David, himself and Carl, from the previous year. The nostalgia of his presence filled Jack with a mix of emotion as he palmed the frame into his hand, but he smiled despite the sadness, deeply appreciative that at least he was able to have a good relationship with David before he passed. And what's more, his heart was warmed by the reality that he still remained close friends with his daughter, whom he had to thank for introducing him to the mother of his child, to a new life free of the Graysons, and for finally finding happiness again, with Louise.

As if on cue, his newly minted bride entered the room, her hands full with baked goods and her purse clutched under her arm, dressed to impress and finally ready to go. She smiled his direction as he looked back up at her, returning the photo to the dresser and pausing to caress her face with a gentle kiss as they prepared to leave. He called for Carl, who finally came running over, and led their puppy to his crate while taking Carl by the hand and leading him to the door. The family of three filed out, leaving behind an aroma of warmth and family closeness in the air…

SCENE

The door to the nursery creaked slightly open as Emily peered through, checking on her most precious possessions before the day that awaited them. She was finally dressed, albeit wearing a robe over her delicate garment. She had gotten up a bit late, sometime after Daniel had risen before her, but he had become an early riser ever since Marshall came home, and Emily had gotten used to him getting up at the crack of dawn to tend to him. Only this morning, he had not returned to bed, and after getting herself ready, she had come down the hall to check on him, only to find them both fast asleep.

She smiled softly, peering into the crib where her soon-to-be adopted stepson, Marshall, slept soundly, and gently caressed his head, pulling his blanket up a bit over him. Daniel rested beside him in the rocking chair and Emily chuckled to herself as she reached over to lift the open book from his lap, pausing to browse it for a moment. It was Daniel's masterpiece – bound and published a bestseller in the past year. She ran her fingers across the beautiful cover where the title read boldly: _Infinity: The Amanda Clarke Story, _and traced the never-ending symbol that filled the first page, just above the dedication. She read it again to herself, despite having read it many times before – _For the love of my life… and her father._

Reminiscing on its significance often brought tears to Emily's eyes, but today she felt a sudden surge of strength, despite longing for her father's presence, as missed as it would be. She closed the book and set it down on the table beside Daniel, allowing him a bit more time to sleep so she could slip down to the beach by herself. As she exited the room and came down the stairs, her walk to the shore was delayed by the arrival of the one person both she and Daniel shared in common – her sister, Charlotte.

Charlotte greeted her gingerly, toting a beautiful bouquet of flowers in hand, and softened at the sight of her sister coming down the stairs, looking her over from head to toe. Within moments she had come over to her and wrapped her in an emotional embrace, and Emily knew by how tightly Charlotte held her that her intensity was partly due to the sorrow they shared at David's absence. But Emily did not break down, only wrapped her arms in comfort around her sister, and then finally broke away to stand back and look at her face. Charlotte managed a smile through tears welling at the corners of her eyes, and Emily gestured for her to take a minute and go upstairs to see her nephew, while she continued her walk to the beach…

END OF MONTAGE

"I know it's bad luck to be seeing you right now but I think we exhausted all of that the first time around," Daniel whispered to Emily as he slowly made his way to where she stood at the crest of the shoreline, staring out onto the ocean. His pant cuffs were rolled up and he walked through the sand barefoot, in an effort to preserve his attire as long as possible before sunset came. The reflection of brilliant light on the horizon signaled that it was not long off. "Besides, you already saw me when you slipped in the nursery," he added, gently teasing her.

"You both looked so peaceful," Emily answered him, adding a sly grin to his earlier comment as she turned to face him, pausing to let him kiss her on the cheek and wrap an arm around her.

"And _you _look so beautiful," he replied before she could go on, admiring his fiancé's physique. "Never let me miss a chance at seeing you looking like this again," he continued donning her neck with another kiss. "I don't care how deep of a sleep I'm in."

She took his hand, adoring when he showered her affection like that, and continued with a smile, "I didn't want to wake you… we still have time before everyone gets here."

"Charlotte's inside with Marsh," Daniel replied with a contented sigh. "Probably plotting on how to whisk him away during the ceremony without everyone noticing…"

Emily grinned and let out a soft laugh. "I'm so glad she decided to stay… she's so good with him."

"I think he's good for her, too," Daniel corroborated, often thinking about what life would have been like if his sister had become a mother herself shortly after Declan died. But he was ultimately consoled that her stint in rehab had strengthened her for the grave loss she suffered at the end of the previous year – both of her parents at the same time. In spite of it, she had remained strong and returned not only for the services, but to rekindle her relationship with both of her siblings. It had been a blessing for her to return in their lives, and knowing that she would look after Marshall while he and Emily went away on their honeymoon was all the comfort they needed to leave without worry.

Daniel watched Emily's eyes continue to drift as she stared deep into the horizon, and tested the waters just to make sure she was alright. "Are you sure you're up to these next two weeks?" he asked, knowing it would be their first time away for that length since Marshall came home.

Emily turned without hesitation to immediately assure him. "I am," she confirmed, and Daniel was relieved. He often worried about her certainty when she was fragile like this, but Emily had made her decision long ago and had no intention of turning back. "Thank you," she continued, drawing his interest. "For agreeing to have just a small dinner reception at the house…it means a lot to me."

Daniel obliged with a nod, relishing the evening they had planned. "Anything for you, Em," he locked his eyes onto hers. "Besides, we did the big wedding before… and Jack &amp; Louise had the elegant soiree at the club a month ago. For us, a quiet evening will be perfect – just a clambake on the beach… with family."

Emily nodded back with a grin; catching his reference to the first party she ever threw for Daniel, so long ago. She never stopped appreciating his sensitivity on all counts, and was grateful to still have Jack and Louise as close friends, as well as Stevie. Before her nostalgia on the subject could overtake her, she remembered something to tell Daniel. "That reminds me – Nolan called. He and Patrick are on their way."

"That was quicker than we thought, wasn't it?" Daniel responded, referring in part to Patrick's arrival, but also to his reunion with Nolan.

Emily smirked, unsure of how close Nolan truly was to Patrick, but didn't deny the potential was there for rekindling. "He said Patrick got an earlier flight," she recalled, speaking carefully about the subject. "So they could visit the site…"

Daniel nodded, understanding finally. "I'm glad he finally answered – I couldn't blame him for not coming to the services," he shared, aware that the sting of Patrick's relationship with their mother left behind its own wounds. "Even though I'm sure my mother is turning in her grave at the thought he didn't show…" he added, aloof.

"Perhaps it was for the best?" Emily offered, trying to console him. "With Charlotte here today, her children are finally reuniting again… it's what she would've wanted in the end."

Daniel agreed, despite not caring to spend much time dwelling on what his mother desired. He had moved past her loss with a heavy heart but full determination to learn from the life she led. "Well she got it," he went on. "And ironically it's _us_ – that brought everyone together."

Emily smiled inside, a delicious feeling of satisfaction collecting in her heart as she pondered the truth that Daniel had just spoke. If only Victoria had embraced that fact sooner, perhaps she would still be around to see it. How poetic.

"Hopefully the news will lift Patrick's spirits," Emily continued, hoping to lighten the mood with the brightness that swelled in her heart, pushing past the shadow of loss that was finally beginning to fade with time.

Daniel glanced at her, the mere mention of it lifting his own spirits and making him giddy. "So is there anything you need me to do, before the time comes?" He watched as she shook her head graciously, and continued to persist sweetly, turning to hold her by the waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck in return, a bit of a distance between them. "You need help getting ready… setting the dinner table…finding your something blue?"

Emily laughed, finding his attempts adorable. "I'm fine really – I took care of everything this morning."

"Even dinner?" Daniel was surprised.

"Caterers are on their way," Emily assured him. "Louise is bringing the cake, and Nolan is doing the champagne… I promised you it would be simple." She smiled, proud that her multi-talents included delegation when needed.

Daniel shook his head, admiring the strong woman he was about to wed. "Listen, I know I wrote you as invincible in my book, but in real life you're just like the rest of us," he teased her, leading with his chin as she mocked him back in return. "Are you ever going to take it easy?"

Emily pretended to think it over. "Hmm… no? But if I do, I promise not to tell you."

Daniel gave her a challenging look, and Emily finally submitted. "Fine… you can get your son dressed," she relented, giving him at least one chore to make him happy. "That's if Charlotte hasn't beat you to it already."

Daniel chuckled. "Yeah, I bet she has," he agreed, and then finally leaned in to kiss her briefly on the lips before turning to go inside.

But Emily held onto him before he could walk away, needing him to remain a moment longer so she could open up to him. "Daniel," she added. "Thank you."

"For what?" he replied, perplexed. "As you can see, my job is just to show up – I barely lifted a finger."

Emily shook her head, growing serious. "No, not that," she continued. "For making me so happy. For believing in me…. And," she added with increased sincerity, "For giving me a family."

Daniel smiled, deeply treasuring moments like these when Emily spoke from the heart and mouthed his own heartfelt 'I love you' to her in return.

Emily watched as he walked away, and while looking that direction, observed how beautiful the ceremony location looked, a pathway decorated with lights and elegant flowers leading up to the steps of the beach house porch, starting from the sands below. The dinner table was set up beside it outside, bringing back the memories of the clambake Daniel referred to, from nearly five years before. This setting instead had warmth to it, an endearing touch of effortlessness, as it existed only as a formality to confirm the bond that already existed between them. As she turned back, she noticed a loose twig amongst the brush on the beach, and bent down cautiously to pick it up, using it to trace deep imprints into the wet sand by her feet. With the final strokes, she found herself growing a bit weak, and worried at first it was her condition before recognizing the real reason. It was the same reason that brought her out to the beach in the first place – her memories of her father.

Her mind took her back to the night he left her; the same night she and Daniel had announced their engagement to their host of friends at Jack's house. Losing David was something they all had mourned, but it still pained her to know that it was in pursuit of her own nemesis that his life was sacrificed. But as heart wrenching as it was to learn he and Victoria had destroyed each other, she felt an innate sense of redemption from knowing that her father's infinite love for her had preserved her alive and saved her from continuing down an unending journey of revenge. Despite having renounced her vendetta six months prior, as long as Victoria lived, David knew that Emily would never be rid of the cycle of hate. And after hearing of her escape and her father's hand in it, Emily knew he not only wanted to protect his daughter from Victoria, but also from her own vengeance. David knew Emily would never stop until he ended the journey for her, and not only had their deaths vanquished any possibility that she would continue, but it secured Emily's promise to forgive. Both she and Daniel had mourned enough, and had been taught the greatest lesson they could possibly learn – that what goes around comes around.

Out of admiration for the lesson, and the many others her father had deeply instilled in her heart that would never go away, Emily spoke aloud, declaring her love for him before she returned back to the house to prepare for the ceremony that awaited.

"I love you, Dad… Infinity times infinity."

SCENE

**Author's Note: As these are the final two scenes below, I will say goodbye leaving you with the same song that began the episode 'For You' by Angus &amp; Julia Stone. The picture below is meant to be 'envisioned' in silence, watching the events unfold without the character's voices, only the music playing, although there will be some dialogue. There is also a special frame included for your benefit to answer the question I'm sure is still on your mind…Enjoy =)**

Emily breathed deeply as she walked arm in arm with Nolan, down the stunningly outlined aisle of lights that led from the beach to the rear porch steps of the beach house, the house that once belonged to her father, once belonged to her, and would now belong to both her and her husband. Nolan grinned aside to her as they walked, and she did her best not to giggle at his choice comments, only kept her eyes on Daniel, and her bouquet elevated just below the bust line of her dress, which beautifully accentuated her figure.

It was hard not to look at the faces that looked on beside them, and as few as they were, it felt as if the entire beach was full, they held that much significance. Jack and Louise stood on the side closest to Nolan, full of smiles as they passed by. Stevie stood just behind them, holding Carl's hand as he waved. On the side closest to Emily stood Charlotte, holding baby Marshall in hand, doing her best to tilt him towards them so he could watch, and behind her stood Patrick, observing in the background. And to the surprise of all, a late attendee also stood a few paces back – one that Emily had reached out to months before, since her father's passing, to finally come to terms with: her mother, Kara Clarke.

The wedding party made a dazzling sight as Nolan led Emily gingerly up the steps to meet Daniel, who waited for her patiently, enjoying every second of watching her walk towards him. As she finally made it to his side, Nolan stepped around her to begin the ceremony, and the lovers held hands, eagerly anticipating the vows that would follow.

When the time finally arrived for them to solidify their commitment, they locked eyes, concentrating if only on each other before the moments ahead, but never forgetting the past behind them. They had overcome mountainous obstacles, but somehow had found their way back to each other each time, and for all their sacrifice, they had found a happy ending.

Having finished Daniel's vows while Emily listened in a trance, Nolan finally turned to her. "And do you, Amanda Clarke, take Daniel Grayson to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Emily stared deep into his eyes, clutching her bouquet tightly as she spoke her response.

"I do."

Daniel's eyes lit up with excitement, and within moments of Nolan announcing them man and wife, he had taken her into his arms to validate their union with a perfect, tender kiss. But not before Emily turned to pass her bouquet to Louise, who was waiting at the foot of the steps to relieve her of holding it so they could embrace. In doing so, Emily's full profile became visible to all in attendance, proudly displaying the large bump swelling in her belly underneath her wedding gown, as she melted into Daniel's arms…

SCENE

The reception dinner slowly began to quiet down against the backdrop of the stars appearing in the night sky, and one by one, the guests gravitated inside the house to relax in the cozy atmosphere while a few of the hired attendants cleared away the tables. A few friends took this as an opportunity to leave for the evening, and Emily and Daniel stood to say farewell to Stevie and a sleeping Carl over her shoulder, as well as Patrick, and finally, Kara. Emily spent the longest amount of time saying goodbye to her in private, and Daniel looked on as he knew more would eventually come from their budding relationship, but smiled contentedly that at least she had been there to see her only child get married. Kara left Emily with a wistful look on her face, but a sure sense of pride at how her daughter had turned out.

When Emily returned to Daniel's side he was ready to join the company inside, but sensed in his wife an emptiness, one that he knew as long as they were together he would be unable to fulfill, and had to respect when she needed a moment. He allowed her that, knowing how much it meant on their special day, and gently caressed her round stomach before letting her go with a tender kiss. She thanked him for understanding with a smile and watched as he went inside ahead of her, draping Marshall over his shoulder, with Charlotte a few paces behind them. Emily promised to be careful as she walked towards the beach, drawing Nolan's attention as he stared after her, nodding to Daniel with his eyes that he would keep watch over the expectant mother while she stole a moment alone by the water.

Clutching at her belly while she walked, Emily thought to herself about the life that remained within her, the daughter that she would soon be raising in just a few months, feeling a sense of symmetry after having said goodbye to her own mother only moments before. Part of the forgiveness that she bestowed on her resulted from the knowledge that she was about to begin her own journey – a new one. Not one of vengeance, but one of her own infinite love. And if life had taught her anything, it was that she would treat this journey with the utmost care.

Emily took a final breath as she looked back out onto the ocean, savoring the last sight of the waves crashing out at sea, breaking against her feet along the shoreline. She looked down wistfully and saw the infinity symbol she had engraved in the sand hours earlier, and watched as the tide came in, the waves making their way up to her ankles, covering over the imprint until it slowly began to fade away. With a saddened yet accepting sigh, she turned from where she stood, taking a mental picture of the ambience to emblazon into her heart, and made her way back to the beach house yards away, walking slowly and cautiously up the hill. As she approached her abode, her eyes began to fix on the warmly lit home she was thankful to return to, and the figures she watched entering the house from afar gave her relief. At the end of the day, she was grateful for much: A circle of friends she could rely on. A new future she had to look forward to. A final resolution to her mission of revenge. And a blessing of life. Despite her losses suffered in the past and her previous low regard for life, she had come to treasure it evermore now that her path as Amanda Clarke had finally begun. It was a path she had worked tirelessly to finally have within her grasp and one she could share now with those she loved most. It had nearly escaped her, and the prospect now gave her a feeling of satisfaction and renewed her confidence in moving forward, as she trudged back towards the house. She knew as she walked away that not only were her trails away from the beach a metaphor for letting go of the past, but also letting go of the lingering memories of her father, whom she would forever treasure, behind her… everlasting now only in her heart like the unrelenting brush of the waves upon the sand.

**Author's Note: And so it ends my dear friends…. I really have little more to say than THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your support as you followed me in this journey down an alternate Revenge universe! It has been a pleasure to write for you and to read your dearly detailed reviews, which have truly touched my heart. I do so hope you enjoyed this ending as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that it satisfied all your questions with fulfilling answers! Please please respond when you finish and tell me your thoughts! I will be posting a subsequent author's note to answer any questions if there are still things left out there that you wonder about and I will keep you posted if I decide to write any future fanfic for the Revenge universe… until then… as always ~ Love and Reven8e ~ Infinity x Infinity ~ MothToANewFlame**


	8. Author's Note: New Story!

**Author's Note: Hello Revengers! It's been a little while! To any of you who were wondering if I was going to continue writing, the answer is YES! I have started a new story and posted the first chapter today – it's called "Revenge Revisited" and it starts at the very end of Season 1 with a new twist on the events – Daniel finds out the truth about Emily's identity! It's meant to propel us into a parallel version of Season 2 wherein Daniel becomes Emily's "inside man" and ally as she continues her quest for justice. Please follow and check it out when you get a chance, I would love to hear your comments and thoughts! Thanks so much! **


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